Complicated
by Fernalblade
Summary: Ichigo gets back his shinigami powers. Things get complicated as he discovers his feelings for Rukia. Life, Love and Everything else. First time writing hope i don't screw up.
1. Chapter 1

First time writing any story. **Ever. **Hope it wasn't too bad =x

Pls don't Hate or Scold T-T

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><p>"… 17 months huh?..." He sighed<p>

Ichigo Kurosaki lay in his bed, recounting the events earlier this evening.

He had easily taken out Ginjo and Tsukishima without exerting himself. And the captains had just STOOD there and enjoyed the show.

He silently cursed them for being such useless bastards

"… but then… if they didn't come back… neither would she…"

Ichigo could only sigh again as he thought about the person currently on his mind.

Kuchiki Rukia.

He had been "lifeless" (as his dad said) ever since he lost his shinigami powers. But none of them knew that he also missed that annoying little midget.

" That annoying, little, cute, sexy... wait… what am I thinking?" Ichigo shook his head violently as though trying to shake away the images of her, which formed in his head.

"But she has gotten cuter… her longer hair makes her look more like a girl and her chest…... ARGH WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO ME!" Ichigo felt the blood rush up to his face as he scolded himself for even thinking of those kinds of things.

He quickly took off his clothing as he headed for a quick shower before going to bed.

He dried his hair with a towel and threw it aside before jumping on his bed.

"Good night Ichigo"

"Night Rukia"

Wait… R..RU…RUKIA?

"Oh what the!…" Ichigo swore as his neck made a cracking noise when he turned his head to the source of the voice.

"RUKIA!" He shouted as he pulled his cover over the lower half of his body. Ever since Rukia had left, he was easily irritated by everything, including the humid feeling of his room. He was already used to sleeping naked.

"Yeah?" The "little midget" slid open the door of his closet and poked her head out , only to see his exposed chest.

Ichigo stared at her while she stared at him. At exactly the same time, they started staring and analyzing each other's bodies

"Her body has grown, especially her chest… and oh my god… her uniform is slightly exposing her…" "He kept his chest well toned even after all this time… and those scars… the reminders of his battle with Aizen… they haven't healed?... but it makes him look…"

"Her hair has grown longer…" "His hair has grown more spiky…"

"She's so much more sexy now…" "He's gotten hotter…"

"But some things about her never change…" "But some things about him never change…"

"Her raven black hair…" "His bright orange hair…"

"Those beautiful violet eyes…" "Those warm brown eyes…"

Then their eyes met. Both turned away, embarrassed by the fact that the other was staring at them, the blood flowing to their cheeks

"Why did you come over to sleep in my closet?"

The question stung Rukia. Did he not want her to be here?...

"Well… there wasn't any space left at Urahara's… because the other captains are staying there overnight"

"Oh, I see…"

"Well… Good night Ichigo…"

"G'night Rukia…" They both finished off awkwardly, but neither was able to sleep, for they were too busy thinking about what they had both saw earlier

Blushing into a deeper shade of red, which would have put Renji's hair to shame, they both tried to sleep, but it only led to more images of each other…

Shaking their head at some, smirking at some, blushing at some and even quietly chuckling at some, by the time the pair fell asleep, the next day was almost upon them.

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><p>So, pls feel free to give any suggestions andor reviews! ^-^

Pls no hate =(


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry! I wanted to upload this chapter earlier but i had a mindblock =( **

**just f.y.i. i have not even planned this whole story. im thinking of it as i go.**

**i was in cambodia for 3 days so sorry for late update =x almost finished it before i went but decided not to so i could write a longer chapter =x**

**this chapter basically explains what happened to Rukia in Seireitei during the 17 month jump**

**hope i didnt bore you guys and hope it isnt too bad =x**

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><p>"Are you okay, Kuchiki-san?"<p>

Rukia groaned loudly and smacked the over-concerned Keigo on the back of his head, causing it to slam on the table.

"Damn that Ichigo. Now I'm lacking of sleep"

Rukia muttered to herself, while silently cursing the orange-haired guy across the classroom.

The guy in question was doing no better, his head resting on the table and his eyes half-closed. He was already easily irritated due to a lack of sleep, yet, Keigo insisted on annoying the hell out of him.

"But Ichigoooo… Rukia-chan just smacked my…"

Whatever Keigo wanted to say, was never heard. Ichigo chose that exact moment to snap, easily grabbing Keigo by the head and tossing him across the classroom.

All this happened at the exact moment when the door opened and the teacher entered the classroom

As Keigo's head slid down the wall, Ichigo and Rukia's jaws dropped when they saw their new "teacher"

Who else could it be?

The class was silent for once as the teacher slowly walked to the table and put down the books he was carrying

"Good morning class, as of today, I will be your new literature teacher. You may address me as Kuchiki-sensei. Please feel free to approach me should you have any difficulties in class"

Ichigo's mouth had opened so wide that it was almost touching the floor. Byakuya being friendly? This had to be a dream

Just when he thought the surprise was over, Byakuya continued on.

"Before we start lessons, I would like to introduce a few new students. Please welcome them and help them adapt to their new environment"

With that, Matsumoto, Histugaya, Renji and Hinamori entered the classroom

"Konichiwa~ Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu"

Oh shit… And I thought my day couldn't get any worse. Ichigo slammed his head on the table with a bang

"Kurosaki-kun, please stand and continue from where Hinamori left off"

I bet you are enjoying this aren't you… you cruel bastard…

Ichigo mentally cursed Byakuya and reluctantly stood up

"I didn't hear where she read to…"

"I'm sorry? I didn't hear you. Would you care to speak up so the whole class can hear you, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo's scowl deepened on his face. Why don't you jump off a building?

"I said, I didn't hear where she stopped"

"I know you didn't, that's because you were busy daydreaming. Which is why you will be assigned double the workload today. You too Abarai, I head that whistle"

Now it was Ichigo's turn to smirk as he saw the redhead open his mouth to retort, before thinking the better of it and shutting his mouth

Soon though, Ichigo could barely stand, let alone smirk

Bastard… as if standing for your hour long period wasn't enough… did you really have to tell every teacher? Ichigo had been standing for almost 3 hours now and to be honest, his legs were really aching

_Hollow alert~ Hollow alert~_

Ichigo looked down at his blinking badge and made a small fist-pump action before requesting for permission to head to the toilet

Hitting himself with the Representative badge, he changed into his shinigami form and headed in the direction of the hollow

He sighed

He hated walking. But after the fight with Ginjo he had tested his powers and realized that they had increased tremendously and he had yet to control it. If he shunpo-ed now, he would easily overshot the hollow

But this new powers had great advantages. He was easily able to beat even Gillians with a mere Getsuga

His mouth curved slightly at the thought of it

Now I can easily protect everybody… especially Rukia… WAIT… why am I thinking of that midget again! Argh!...

As much as he hated to admit it, he had been sulking for the past 17 months because of two things

One, the lost of his powers

Two, the loss of Rukia

Damn he missed her over-cheerful silly faces and of course, she was the one who loved bossing him around

Sigh. What am I thinking about?...

Ichigo absent-mindedly swung Zangetsu again, taking out a third Gillian easily before heading back to school

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><p><span>Ichigo's room<span>

Well, it looks like Ichigo is getting used to his new powers quickly. That's good…

Rukia sat on his bed next to his immobile body and sighed

Ichigo was taking care of yet another Adjuchas hollow. Despite being rare even in Hueco Mundo, already 5 had shown up today

Something was amiss, but as always, Yamamoto told them not to interfere

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><p><em><span>Yamamoto's speech in Seireitei<span>_

"_I have some plans for Kurosaki. Observe his powers and access if he is able to manage Karakura town. Then report back to me after a week. I will inform everyone of my decision after I have seen the report. None of you are to assist him in taking care of the hollows unless the situation requires it. Just stand and observe."_

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><p>What could he have planned for Ichigo?... Rukia's mind drifted off as she slowly caressed his motionless face<p>

Then she realized what she had been doing and quickly pulled her hand away

What if Renji sees me!

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><p><em><span>1 Month ago<span>_

"_Rukia! Hey! Wait up!"_

_The red head bends down to catch his breath_

"_Its already been 16 months, when will you get over him?" _

"_Get over who?"_

"_Don't lie to yourself Rukia. You've been locking yourself up, refusing to eat much, even your skin has grown more pale, you're still thinking of Ichigo aren't you?"_

"_N…no…"_

"_Since you say you aren't, go out with me today"_

_He didn't take "no" for an answer_

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><p>Sigh. Just like that, they have been going out for over a month, before Isshin and Urahara finally came up with a way to restore Ichigo's powers<p>

Renji seriously enjoyed spending time with her and she had a great time too

She had almost forgotten her feelings for Ichigo, but fate is a cruel thing

Idiot! Why can't I forget about you!

Rukia punched his body multiple times, half-expecting it to retaliate, but it never did

As she continued to pound, tears rolled down her cheek and she lay down on his chest, continuing to sob, uncertain of her feelings towards the two most important men in her life

On a roof a few blocks away, a familiar red head saw and misunderstood the whole incident

He clenched his fist, bit his lip and turned his back on the sight, punching a wall and shattering it as he walked back to Urahara's shop.

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><p><strong>First off, thanks for reading ^^ <strong>

**Hope the ending wasn't too abrupt =x**

**I changed the title cos i thought Complicated  would better describe the situation in this story**

**the school scene with Byakuya was inspired by my friend, who just so happened to suffer the exact same fate as Ichigo =x so i hope it wasn't too random or anything =x**

**last 3 things,**

**1. I have a major O level exam at the end of this year, so for those of you who read and like this story (3 you guys ^^), im sorry if there are slow updates =(**

**2. My friend suggested i put song lyrics within my story too, so it better emphasizes the scene and the emotions, i wanna know what you guys think about that idea o.o**

**3. I'm not too good at Jap so feel free to correct any mistakes i made =x i'm still learning... from a book ._. ...**

****THANKS FOR VIEWING! cookies for those who review o.o!****


	3. Chapter 3

**FINISHED IT. **

**Made it longer for those of you who wanted and im sorry for all the pov changes =(**

**Squeezed alot into this chapter, mostly on the rough outline of upcoming battles =3**

**Not much romance here but will add them to the next chapter so hope you guys enjoy it ;)**

**Disclaimer : I do not own bleach. If i did, IchiRuki forever =D**

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><p>"Ughh….. dammit… major headache…"<p>

Ichigo woke up to find Rukia lying on his chest

He was still in his school attire and had not even bathed since he got home last night

he had found her lying over his body with tears still rolling off her cheeks and did not want to wake her up

Well I have to now! They were going to be late for school!

He grunted

"Ano… Rukia… get up… we're going to be late for school…"

She opened her eyes, blinked, opened her eyes even wider and screamed as she jumped off his bed

"I… You… My body…"

Both of their faces turned red and heated up

"I didn't do anything! You were sort of lying on me and sleeping when I got home…"

Damn that sounded lame!

Ichigo silently cursed

"Oh… well… we're going to be late for school… I'm going to take a shower"

"No time for that. Just change up and go downstairs. I'll grab some sandwiches. Yuzu always keeps a few in case I oversleep"

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><p>This is so awkward…<p>

They were walking to school together, both occasionally yawning

It was expecting since they were tired, but…

WE AREN'T EVEN TALKING! I MEAN! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER!

"Erm…ano…Rukia… what were you doing sleeping on my body last night?... I mean… you knew I went out hunting hollows… so what were you doing?..."

He felt the heat rushing to his face as he finished his question and stole a quick glance in her direction

"Nothing…" she looked away as her face took on a red shade, making her look cute as she was embarrassed by the thought

Ichigo was about to add something else but as his mouth opened, a distraction in the form of Renji walked out from an alley

"Renji!" Rukia ran towards her boyfriend

Ichigo felt a twinge of annoyance as her raven hair bounced with every step she took

He looked up and saw Renji's eyes scanning their clothes

Sure they are both crumpled… but… wait… he isn't thinking about that is he?... heck no…

Warmth rushed up Ichigo's face as he shook his head already guessing what Renji must be thinking

Renji's eyes narrowed at Ichigo's expression

"Mornin' darlin'"

Renji pulled a shocked Rukia to him n planted her full on the lips

Ichigo felt like someone had just sucker-punched him and his insides were forming knots

He couldn't stand it and walked into an alley

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><p>Rukia closed her eyes and imagined it was Ichigo who was kissing her and blood flowed to her face<p>

But when Renji's tongue brushed against her lips, it startled her and woke her up from her fantasy

She shoved the red-head away and slapped him in the face, leaving a red patch

"What the fuck Rukia? We've been dating for a month already! You still overreacting when your boyfriend gives you a kiss?"

Rukia's head lowered

"S….So….Sorry… I guess it caught me off guard…"

"Caught you off guard? Like hell I'd believe that! I could understand if you pushed me away if it caught you off guard, but slapping me just told me that you rejected it"

Renji turned away and walked towards Karakura High School while Rukia chased after him, thinking of how to apologize to him

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><p><em>Hollow alert~ Hollow alert~ <em>

At least there's something I can take out my anger on

Ichigo hit himself with his representative badge and scanned around the area for the hollow

There was no reiatsu in the surrounding area

Strange. Was the badge broken?

The air cracked open and a small figure stepped out

Ichigo instantly shunpo-ed to the location and he saw Rukia and Renji doing the same, their argument set aside for now

Suddenly a hand grabbed Ichigo's neck

"_Heh? You chose a weak one to posses_"

"Who are you and what are you talking about?"

The hand tightened around his neck

"_Careful with your words Kurosaki Ichigo. I did not come to speak to you. I wish to speak with the king of Hueco Mundo's North, Vastro Lorde Hichigo_"

The three shinigami's were completely shocked at the statement

Kurosaki's inner hollow… was a vastro lorde!...

"Too bad for you, I just got my powers back not long ago and I haven't even talked to him or called him out yet"

The masked human-like hollow stared straight into Ichigo's eyes

"_When you do see him, tell him that the king of east came to visit him and that the eight lords wish to speak to the highest leader. Tell him that, because if you don't… there will be hell to pay_"

The hollow flung Ichigo as if he were a ragdoll, sending him crashing through wall after wall

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><p>"Ichigo!"<p>

"I'll take care of this guy! Rukia, go help Ichigo!"

"_Who said I was going to let you?_"

The hollow rested an arm on Rukia's shoulder when only a mere second ago, he had been in front of Renji

A shonido that was faster then the rest, even quieter? This guy isn't our average hollow

Rukia quickly accessed the situation while considering what moves to take

She shunpo-ed quickly to the side but found a fist shoved through her body

"_Whoops, too bad_"

She felt her power drain out of her before the fist withdrew and the last thing she remembered was a voice shouting her name as she fell unconscious, landing on something soft

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><p>Ichigo on the roof of a building about two kilometers away<p>

He had a stable footing yet the hollow had thrown him so far, and the hollow seemed to be messing with him

He shunpo-ed back just in time to see Rukia's energy being sucked dry and her small body dropping to the ground

He jumped one more time and caught her, putting her on the ground gently

Looking up, Ichigo saw the hollow effortlessly blocking Renji's Hikotsu Taiho yet again and he knew his options were limited

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><p><em><span>Last night, In Zangetsu's world<span>_

"_Old man! Its good to see you again!"_

"_As with you Ichigo, I feared I might have never seen you again"_

_Ichigo very directly, and impolitely, gave his sword a hug, which surprisingly did not reject the gesture_

_They sat on the edge of the skyscraper, looking up at the skies_

"_As you know Ichigo, your powers have changed greatly since your return… but that is merely the Shikai. What you must now do is understand the new changes to your Bankai"_

_Zangetsu smiled and another person sat to Ichigo's right_

"_Your hollow seems to be currently asleep, deep inside you. He will reappear, but only when the time comes. For now, you shall train with us"_

_Tensa stood and pulled out his sword form as Zangetsu did the same_

"_Now come, attack me"_

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><p>Ichigo lifted up Zangetsu and put both hands on its handle<p>

"Ban-"

Reiatsu gathered in the air

"Kai!"

The enormous amount of reiatsu disappeared, leaving Ichigo standing as the dust cleared

"Tensa Zangetsu : Shingetsu"

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><p>Rukia's eyes opened slightly and Renji heaved a sigh of relief<p>

He had been afraid that his poor kidou would cause more harm than help

She looked up in the sky and saw a familiar black and red cloak

"Ichigo!"

Renji turned his head and saw the orange-headed strawberry use his bankai, the familiar large over-powering reiatsu emitting from him

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The energy Ichigo fired was easily ten times larger then they had last seen him use it, and that was when his hollow mask was on

For a moment, it seemed like Ichigo had won

"_How pathetic…_"

The hollow allowed the blast to hit him, but it did not seem to even affect him. He even brushed off dust from his body as he continued walking towards Ichigo

"Tensa Zangetsu : Mika-"

Ichigo placed both hands and was about to do something, but the hollow bent his arm into an awkward angle and bones cracked

Ichigo's scream filled the air and the other two shinigamis could only stand in shock and watch as the hollow punched Ichigo in the chest, with more cracks as his ribcage broke

Rukia screamed but Ichigo couldn't hear anything she was saying

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><p>In his mind, Ichigo was lying on the floor and Hichigo was standing above him, looking down<p>

"_You're way outta your head king_"

Hichigo?... Damn it…. You've been here this whole time?...

"_Nope. I just woke up. I gotta talk to Dieu over there. Mind letting me take over?"_

Since when did you become so polite?

"…"

Alright… just keep me conscious inside so I can hear what is going on…

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><p>"ICHIGO!"<p>

Renji grabbed Rukia's hand but she just shook him off and continued running to his body

"Ichigo… Ichigo…."

Renji jumped on top of her and pinned her to the ground

"BAKA! Did you even stop to consider the fact that the hollow will kill you before you even reach Kurosaki?"

Another tear fell from her eye as she turned around to look at the orange-haired shinigami

Kurosaki Ichigo stood up once more and his hair started growing longer, while a hole appeared in his chest

His eyes were black with yellow irises and a mask slowly formed on his face, before growing two horns

The fully hollow-fied Ichigo walked to the small hollow and grabbed his arm

"_Dieu Tueuse. Its been awhile"_

The voice resembled Ichigo's, but it was cracked and had a sense of authority in it

After the short sentence, the possessed Ichigo ripped Dieu's arm clean off and crushed it into dust with one hand

Seeing Ichigo's new form, Dieu bowed down

"_It has been awhile, leader"_

Hichgo said nothing and opened his palm

Tensa Zangetsu flew to it and he slashed the air

The air current around the area compressed and destroyed half of Dieu body turning it into dust before continuing to destroy another ten buildings behind him

All the eyes who were watching this battle widened

"_You were sent to pass me a message and so you did. That slash was for injuring my host. Now get lost before I lose my temper. It wouldn't be nice if I had to make you leave now would it?..."_

Dieu swallowed. The king had left Hueco Mundo for 17 years and his skills have not deproved even one bit. If anything, they had improved

"_My orders were to bring you there too, if possible"_

"_So I left awhile and someone decided to take charge?... Then tell me Dieu, are you really dumb enough to take me on alone? I purposely cut off the right half of your body and left your heart in tact. The blow also intentionally missed your spine. Do you wish to die so badly? If so, stay. If not, leave"_

Hichigo turned his back on the still-bleeding Vastro Lorde and used a shonido to quickly reach Rukia and Renji

Renji lifted up Zambimaru to prepare for another fight

Hichigo flicked the sword, shattering it all the way to the hilt

He then grabbed Renji and Rukia and used shonido to get to their bodies before going to Ichigo's, which he entered

Hey Hichigo, im calling a meeting at Urahara's later, we need you to explain everything

Sigh. Once again displaying a personality unlike his usual self, Hichigo agreed to it

_Guess I owe you guys an explanation for earlier, but no time for that. You're gonna be late_

"Shit!" Ichigo jumped up, grabbed his bag and ran towards school

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><p><strong>OKAY! Thats it for this chapter! ^^ <strong>

**Notes:**

**1st of all, hope i didn't get any of the translations wrong =x**

**Dieu Tueuse : God Slayer (I just keyed it in google translate. i already forgot what language i used D=)**

**Shingetsu : New moon (Japanese, correct me if i'm wrong =x)**

**Mikazuki : Crescent moon (Japanese, was the word Ichigo was about to say before being cut off by Dieu. Already given a big hint to Ichigo's new bankai here ;x )**

**2nd, my friend has been really pestering me to try new ideas =( so i may use the better ones for upcoming chapters, please review on these especially, really helps! (especially if i want to reject his ideas x) )**

**Lastly! Review! PLEASE! Really helps alot ^^**

**P.S. : Next chapter will mostly be Hichigo's story on his past. It is important if you want to understand what was happening here (especially for those who went "WTF!" when i said he was a Vastro. Will try adding some other "stuff" in it too ^^)**

**Update (19/9/11) : I changed some of the stuff from Ichigo's Bankai because i thought it through and figured that i should have added something ^^ btw i decided to postpone Hichigo's past by one chapter cos im mean just kidding some people were asking me "where's the ichiruki-ness" so i decided to dedicate 1 chapter totally for all the complicated relations ^^ promise PROMISE Hichigo's past will be chapter 5. (No school tmr so 1 day to write it. WOHOOO)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay! IchiRuki-ness! (Finally)**

**Hope i did clear some stuff up and hope it wasn't too confusing, but enough of that! GET ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Bleach**

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><p>Classes never seemed to pass as slowly as they did today…<p>

Ichigo sighed with relief when the bell rang

He hoped that the others got the message to meet him later

* * *

><p><em><span>Earlier that morning<span>_

"_Ichigo, what happened? I know my phone rang because there was a hollow, but all I saw was you, Renji and Rukia walking to the school half-dead, looking like you got you asses handed to you"_

_Sigh. Matsumoto and Ikkaku just weren't going to stop asking the same thing over and over again_

_And it was seriously getting annoying_

_And it wasn't helping that their constant ranting attracted the attention of Histugaya and Byakuya_

* * *

><p>Ichigo looked up to the classroom door and saw the noble still eyeing him coldly<p>

Sigh. He headed to the canteen, bracing himself for their reactions when he broke the news to them

* * *

><p>Rukia splashed water at her face once again<p>

Damn today is soo messed up! First Ichigo and Renji! Now this!

Sigh.

Well, better explain and apologize to Renji while I still can

She walked out of the bathroom and headed to the classroom but he wasn't there

Strange… He usually doesn't eat during lunch…

"Inoue! Have you seen Renji?"

The orange-haired girl turned around

"Ano… I think I saw him headed into one of the classes on level two, maybe you should check there"

"Ah… I see, thanks Inoue!"

What is he doing on level two? Aside from the staff room there, the classes on that level are considered to be the worst academically… Unless he failed the past few exams?...

She smirked to herself as she climbed up the stairs, bumping into Ishida along the way

"He's in the 2nd class from the right"

"Thanks Ishida!"

She was happily bouncing up and down skipping as she headed in the direction Ishida had pointed

She stopped in front of the door had a huge grin on her face and was just about to knock on the door

"_Renji! Stop! Aren't you already with Rukia? What if someone sees us?"_

"_Who cares about that! Besides, don't you want it too?"_

Shock crossed Rukia's face

"_B…b-but Renji! Wha- MHPH!"_

Rukia opened the door

Matsumoto was on a table with her lips locked onto Renji's. Their tongues were intertwining and his hand was on her bare chest, some of their phones on the floor near them

Rukia was speechless and her jaw dropped

They broke apart after hearing the door slide open and Matsumoto hid behind a table, wearing her clothes

"Re-Renji… what is the meaning of th-this?..."

Rukia was still in disbelief

Renji walked bare-chested to her, his tattoos all over his body

"You were right. I'm stupid. Its over"

"So you mean it was a one time thing with her?..."

"No. I mean us. You've chosen Ichigo. I can see it. So get the fuck out of my life"

Renji shut the door in her face

She stared down as her eyes became watery

A flash of orange, the sound of a door slamming

Rukia looked up and saw Ichigo in front of her

* * *

><p><em><span>A few minutes previously, <span>_

_Ichigo drank from a water cooler while thinking about all the things that the Vastro Lorde had said earlier_

_What did this all mean?... Does it have something to do with the large number of hollows appearing lately? Especially since they seem to mostly consist of Menos…_

_Ichigo's thoughts wondered off and he didn't see the ever-cheerful Inoue standing in front of him_

"_Kurosaki-kun!"_

_Her voice brought him back to reality_

"_Oh! Inoue!"_

_She had confessed to him months ago but he had rejected her, but they maintained a friendly relationship and she got over it quickly due to a confession from his four-eyed Quincy friend_

"_Shouldn't you be in the canteen? Ishida and the rest are already waiting for you"_

"_Oh yea! Thanks for the reminder! Have you seen Rukia and Renji?"_

"_They were headed up to level two"_

_Huh? What were they doing up there?_

"_Ichigo!"_

_Ishida ran down the stairs and grabbed the orange-haired shinigami_

"_Renji-….-Level two-…..-Rukia-…."_

_Ichigo couldn't hear him properly because of the heavy breaths he was taking, but remembering how Renji had kissed her this morning, his blood boiled and he ran up to level two_

_He saw a half-naked pineapple talking to Rukia_

"_No. I mean us. You've chosen Ichigo. I can see it. So get the fuck out of my life"_

_Blood pounded in his head_

_He slammed the door open and grabbed the tattoo-ed asshole_

* * *

><p>Ichigo slammed Renji against the wall, cracking it<p>

"What did you say to Rukia? I was digging my ear and didn't hear it? Care to repeat yourself, you bastard?"

"I told her to get the fuck outta my life. Got a problem with that strawberry? Shouldn't you be happy? I've just given you the go-head to date her"

"Oh no problems. In fact, I'm happy you gave me a reason to kick your ass for this morning"

"Jealous much?"

"Not as much as you after I start dating her"

"As if. Besides you practically skipped the dating and went straight to fucking the slut"

Nothing registered except the last word

"What. Did. You. Call. Her?..."

"I called her a slut. Got a problem with that strawberry?"

"Hell yeah pineapple-asshole"

Ichigo slammed his badge into his chest, pulling out his shinigami form and he punched Renji

The punch didn't hurt, but its objective was met

Renji's shinigami form was pulled out of his body

"What the?"

"We're gonna settle this now you bastard"

Ichigo threw him into the open field next to the school

"Fine by me orange freak"

"Red pineapple"

"Shit-faced strawberry"

By now, Tatsuki, Ishida, Ikkaku, and all others who could see shinigami, were staring at the two in the field

"17 Months of training. And what do you have Ichigo? Nothing. By now, even my skills overpower yours"

Renji drew his sword, which had restored itself

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

Not bothering to waste time using his sealed Zanpakuto to fight, Renji uses his Shikai immediately

Ichigo stands still and grabs Renji's blade

"What!"

No cuts appear on Ichigo's hand

"If you don't want to die I suggest you fight seriously"

Zangetsu overflowed with reiatsu

"Getsuga Tenshou"

The energy blast missed Renji intentionally, but was still close enough to scrape his shoulder

Renji clutched his wound and hobbled back as Ichigo used Zangetsu to draw a line on the floor

"You will not be able to pass this line"

Ichigo looked Renji dead in the eye

"Use your Bankai. I'll crush it"

Renji was very pissed off and it was obvious by the veins on his forehead that he was debating if he should do so

"Your death then"

Renji stood in a stance to attack

"Bankai"

An explosion of reiatsu

"Hihio Zabimaru"

Before Ichigo pulled Zangetsu out of the ground, Renji swung the giant bone-snake at him

"Tch"

Ichigo blocked with his arm and it was impaled by one of the huge bones which stuck out of Renji's Bankai

Renji pulled back the sword and swung it around to face Ichigo again

"Hikotsu Taiho!"

Ichigo shunpo-ed to his sword and kicked it off the ground, pulling it in front of him as a shield just in the nick of time

"What 'choo say 'bout me not being able to push you pass that line?"

Ichigo didn't reply, preferring to stare at him

Then a smirk appeared on his face

"If that's all you've improved then I'm sure you can't beat my Bankai"

He placed both hands on Zangetsu

Renji swung his Bankai forward once more

"Higa Zekko!"

It disassembled and aimed to hit Ichigo

"Bankai"

Black reiatsu gathered around Ichigo and covered him

"Tensa Zangetsu : Shingetsu"

The reiatsu wrapping Ichigo exploded and the parts of Hiho Zabimaru were blown away

But Ichigo was not standing there

"Shouldn't you be looking at you enemy? Why the daze?"

Renji realized that something was resting on his back

He turned around and saw Ichigo pressing the flat side of his blade causing the odd feeling

"Boo!"

Renji shunpo-ed away but tripped and fell over

"Ichigo! Enough is enough"

The two captains had arrived

Byakuya rested his hand on Ichigo's blade

"Lower your weapon, kozo"

"Sorry can't do that"

Ichigo disappeared and a cut appeared on Renji's other shoulder

"Damn you!"

"Oi Ichigo, stop already"

The child genius was losing his patience

Ichigo appeared hovering slightly above them

"Alright then, but I owe Renji one last attack seeing as how he harmed Rukia. I don't like oweing debts"

He placed both hands on his blade again

"Tensa Zangetsu : Mangetsu"

Ichigo's usually enormous reiatsu disappeared

His hair turned black and begun to grow longer

His pupils turned red and his usual dark outfit opened up, a grey-ish bandage wrapping itself around him from his chest, to his fingertips, up to his mouth

"Taichous please stand aside"

Their eyes widened and did as he said, unconscious of their actions

In the classroom, Rukia was shouting his name, telling him to stop hurting Renji, that it was enough

But he couldn't hear anything

All he knew was that the man before him had hurt Rukia and he was going to make that pineapple-head pay for it

The two captains were astounded by the sight of Ichigo's new Bankai form. It was overflowing with reiatsu till the point where it was visible, as though his arm was holding in hundreds of Getsuga Tenshous, but neither of them could feel the reiatsu

Ichigo lifted up his hand, but there was no longer a blade in it, which surprised everyone

Suddenly, a blade of pure black reiatsu formed in his hand and he swung it in a large "U" shape

"Mugetsu"

The sky was engulfed in the dark reiatsu, Renji helplessly trapped within it

Ichigo reverted back to his Shikai form and used shunpo to return to the classroom, where a teary-eyed Rukia slapped him across the face before going out to tend to Renji

* * *

><p>"Damn this is tricky"<p>

"You're lucky he passed out. If he wasn't he'd be screaming his ass off"

Urahara chuckled lightly to himself

Renji's injuries were very weird

After Ichigo's attack, he was left with nothing but his torso, attached to his head

His arms and legs were severed off and had disintegrated

While it seemed like a severe injury, Ichigo's reiatsu was so strong it actually melted some parts of Renji's skin and flesh, basically covering all the wounds with a layer of he mixture, so no blood was lost

Now, however, for Inoue to heal him, they had to re-open these wounds to avoid any complications

Luckily for them, Byakuya easily modified everyone's memory so the school was under the impression that the whole bunch of them were sick

He opened the window and saw Ichigo still sitting on the roof, his palm on his cheek, staring out at the sky

He turned around to see who had opened the door

"Oh… Its you. Is Rukia still angry with me?"

"She's just crying a lot, not eating anything, much like yourself"

"Is that so?..."

"So, tell me again Kurosaki, what are the changes to your Bankai?"

"Well, Zangetsu told me that I now have four main forms of Bankai, each according to the states of the moon. Shingetsu, the new moon, is basically the old Bankai, exactly where I left off.

Mikazuki is the crescent, the Bankai that I was using after I came back from training with my dad in the Dangai, my experience with training with Zangetsu in there will all return and I will be able to access my techniques.

Hantgetsu is the most unknown to me, though Zangetsu tells me that it is a merge between the Mikazuki and the Mangetsu forms.

Mangetsu is the form which I access Mugetsu, the skill which I used to beat Aizen. And now that my powers are stronger then ever, Mugetsu no longer drains me of my abilities, though it uses up a lot of reiatsu in one blow.

But Zangetsu also said that there was one more mode, which I wouldn't be in full control of. He didn't elaborate on it but I think he means it has something to do with my hollow"

"Well, at least you didn't kill- "

"ARGGGGGHHHH!"

"-Renji"

Jinta came into the room

"Owner! Renji is awake"

"Is that so?... Well, that would explain the screaming"

"I'M GONNA KILL THAT STRAWBERRY!" "… and the death threats"

Ichigo stepped through the window and into Renji's room

"You want to hit me then go ahead. I haven't got the mood right now. I won't retalia-"

Renji punched him straight in the face, cutting him off mid-sentence

"Abarai-kun! Your arm hasn't fully healed yet!"

Inoue was trying to restrain Renji but punch after punch landed on Ichigo, who didn't block or fight back

Finally Renji stopped

"Why aren't you hitting back!"

Ichigo spat out abit of blood

"I cut you up for hurting Rukia but I didn't consider how she would feel if I cut her best friend. I did exactly what you did. Of course I deserve to be punched"

Ichigo said it in a monotone way, but everyone could hear that he was angry at himself

"Damn it."

Renji lay back down on the bed and let Inoue continue to heal him

Ichigo continued to look up at the ceiling and felt his eyes go watery before standing up and heading home

He was pissed off at himself

How could I do such a thing to her!

* * *

><p>Ichigo was just about to take a shower when Rukia opened the door<p>

"Oh midget. You were using the toilet?"

Rukia said nothing and walked past him

"Oei. Rukia!"

He grabbed her hand but she shrugged him off, still ignoring him

"Listen to me! Damn it!"

She just walked into the closet and shut the door

What the fuck? She totally ignores me.

He shook his head and took a cold shower, calming himself down and thinking things over

As he dried his hair, he heard the cute sounds of her slow breathing

He opened the door slowly so as not to wake her and took in every detail

Her raven black hair, her small button nose, her slightly swollen lips

Her petite body, her slightly pale skin, her warm, gentle hands

In his head, he could also picture her piercing violet eyes

His lips curved slightly at the thoughts of her, then he remembered about today's incidents and he closed the door, perhaps a little too loud

He rested his back against the door and slid down, landing on the floor

Smacking his own forehead, he wished she could hear his apology

* * *

><p>Rukia tossed over in her sleep and heard the door close<p>

Her eyes opened slightly and she heard something slide against the door before hitting the ground

Ichigo?

She rubbed her eyes and focused on listening to what was going on outside

* * *

><p>"Damn it you little midget… what do you have that's better then all the other girls?..."<p>

Internally, Rukia fumed but did not open the door

That asshole! It was his fault today for being such a busybody!

"You're so annoying… always interrupting people, trying to be the boss and always trying to command people"

Rukia's face was red already

WHAT! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!

"You're even flat chested and short"

Steam was coming out of her ears

"But that's what makes you so attractive… Damn it… Rukia why do you always have to be so cute?..."

I'M GONNA KILL THAT MOTHER!- wait… what did he say?...

"Can't believe I'm saying this… why?... why do I find you so bloody attractive?... the way you are always so clumsy, so careless… the way you pout when someone tells you you're wrong… damn it why is it always so cute...?"

Her face was now red from the embarrassment

Does he really mean it?...

There was a sensation in her heart which she couldn't explain, she wanted more then anything to open the door and tell him that she understood his feeling for her

"When you're in danger I feel the need to protect you. When you're hurt, I want to be the one standing by your side to comfort you. When you're with someone else, I feel overprotective of you. Rukia you l'il midget… what did you do to me?..."

Her hand reached for the door

His fist hit the ground and he threw his head back

She heard his head hitting the door

"Rukia… thank god you can't hear this 'cos I sound like an idiot right now…"

Her hand rested on the door

"Knowing you you'd probably go back to Renji… but I'd regret if I never said this…"

She waited and there was a moment of silence

"Kuchiki Rukia… I've fallen for you… I don't know how and I don't know when… but I love you, you midget…"

He felt like he got a whole load off his chest

The door slide open and Rukia kicked him across the room

"Baka! Why do you keep calling me midget!"

"Eh?... EHHHHH! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING!"

Both their faces were red

"Long enough…"

She turned her face to one side

Another moment of silence passed between them

"Ano… Ichigo… "

He looked up at her

"Did you mean what you said about me?..."

His face got redder

"O-of co-course… "

She ran over and suddenly hugged him

"Thanks for everything you said… stupid strawberry…"

He looked down and saw that Rukia's eyes had filled up with tears so he pulled her closer to his chest

"Sorry about injuring Renji like that today… I know that I shouldn't have done that…"

"No… that's okay… Ichigo… thanks for protecting me…"

* * *

><p>God damn it… I have no idea how she does this kind of stuff<p>

They were lying in bed together, but Rukia refused to get on if Ichigo was going to sleep naked again

But at least its no longer as warm and stuffy as it used to be…

She was lying down next to him, burying her face in his nape, already fast asleep

It gave him a warm feeling, but he didn't dislike it

He put his arm around her and pulled her closer, taking in the smell of her vanilla-scented hair

He was happy and it was reflected all over his face

Just as he was about to sleep, he felt her lips move against his skin and thought she was awake

Nope… Still fast asleep… sleep-talking?...

"Ichigo…"

Her voice was barely audible, whispering ever so softly

Huh?...

"…I love you, you strawberry…"

He couldn't help it

He grinned to himself and hugged her tightly

"Love you too, midget"

* * *

><p>In Ichigo's mind, Hichigo was seeing everything<p>

All these emotions… reminded him of the time when he was with _her. _

The painful memories came back to him

But he had to tell them. If not they would never understand

_Bear with it Hichigo! What would she say if she saw you like this?_

"_Screw this…"_

The king of hollows was not void of emotions and what he faced in revealing his past was the pain which he had chosen to suppress for all these years

It would be like piercing him through one knife at a time… the pain…

But it had to be done

* * *

><p><strong>Owkay! How was that for IchiRuki! =)<strong>

**Review pls~ **

**Short comments first, will update later today, mostly cos im posting this at midnight, when im supposed to be sleeping (forced myself to get up and post cos i love you guys =D)**

**Yea... so if i get caught by my dad, im screwed. So nights all ^^ Enjoy!**

**Update on comments (7am 20/09/11) : Okay im finally "legit" awake ^^ dad cant do !#$ even if he catches me up now =D**

**only been about 4 hours since i posted this and you guys have already seen it . thats fast!**

**okok now for some more important (and boring) notes :**

**1. Sometimes i take slightly longer to post, especially during exam periods (im still in school) or if the chapter is long. So pls pls bear with me **

**2. I do not take full credit for my work, cos i have 5 awesome friends to help ^^**

** 1, Bleachwiki**

** 2, Googletranslate**

** 3,4,5 My friends who constantly read what im writing and review on the spot (i sometimes write in class, esp math class ;D)**

**3. Glad you guys liked this chapter and i am writing chapter 5 now ^^ hope to get it done by tonight! ^^ **

**Thanks for all the reviews and KEEP THEM COMING! ^^ **

**Next chapter : (Boring? maybe?) Hichigo's story**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I didnt finish it in time! D=**

**Im disappointed with myself for letting you guys down T-T**

**But here it is! Hichigo's past! (or part of it, as you will see)**

**Disclaimer : I do not own bleach**

* * *

><p>Rukia felt her face rubbing against something<p>

She blinked and awoke to find herself staring at Ichigo's chest

She giggled and hugged him closer

Then she heard a chuckle and pushed away, annoyed

"Stupid strawberry… you were awake already? "

"Of course"

He grinned

"Baka!"

She kicked him off the bed

"Ow…Dang… Stupid midget"

She grabbed his ear

"What did you call me?..."

"I-… OW! DAM-DAMN IT! LET GO! BL-…BLOODY MIDGET! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE"

She punched him once more in the gut before heading to the showers

Damn it… Feisty as always… but isn't that why I fell for her?

Ichigo chuckled to himself

After last night, he had already more or less confessed to her, so he had no problems admitting his true feelings for her

Gheez… What's gotten into me?...

He scratched his head and looked out the window, similing

* * *

><p>The door slid open, Ichigo and Rukia walked in<p>

"Jinta, where are they?"

"In the basement"

The red haired boy continued to sweep the floor, yawning as he did so

* * *

><p>Ichigo and Rukia descended the steps and saw the other shinigami waiting for them already<p>

Renji was glaring at them and that gave Ichigo an idea to piss him off

He put his hand around her and pulled her close to him

The others were shocked, though most of them happy for the new couple

Renji's grip on his sword tightened and veins stated appearing on his arm

Byakuya gave Ichigo a look so cold it could have frozen the air

Rukia's face reddened, embarrassed by his gesture

Urahara was the first to break the silence

"Congrats to the happy couple! But since we have an urgent matter to discuss, Kurosaki-san please remove your hand from Kuchiki and explain the situation"

Ichigo obeyed, pulling his hand away and stepping forward, at the same time giving Rukia a small wink

She blushed a deeper shade of red and Ichigo earned himself another glare from Byakuya

"Alright… Most of you here don't know, but I'm not a pure shinigami"

Silence

"I am a Vizard, the same as Hirako Shinji and Hiyori Sarugaki. We aren't full shinigami. We're half shinigami, half hollow"

While saying so, he gathered reiatsu on his hand, forming his hollow mask

The two captains instinctively pulled out their swords while the others stood still in shock

Only Renji and Rukia understood everything

"Kozo, that mask... would it so happen to be the one you used when you protected Rukia from execution? The time when you first used Bankai"

"Yeah. It's changed a little since then but it's the very same one"

"That so?..."

Byakuya kept his sword

"If that is the case, then we can hear him out Toshirou, he is able to control it"

Woah? The great noble believes in me?

"Hurry up and explain, Kurosaki"

Well, guess his attitude hasn't changed one bit…

Ichigo looked at his mask

Hey Hichigo… you there?...

"_Yea. Just put the mask on the floor, I'll do the rest"_

Ichigo lay the mask flat on the floor, where the colors started changing immediately

The colors were reversed and white substance started forming from the mask, taking the shape of a man

Ichigo recognized this as the hollow he had fought in Zangetsu's world while training in the Dangai

The shinigami waited patiently

Hichigo pulled off the mask, revealing the replica of Ichigo's face, except that it was pale

"_Alright, I'm Ichigo's inner hollow, my name is Hichigo. Most of you received a hollow alert yesterday I assume? So I'm here to talk about it"_

Ichigo expected them to attack, so it was understandable that Hitsugaya was unsheathing his blade

Then the least expected thing happened

Byakuya sat down

"Please continue Hichigo"

Ichigo leaned towards Rukia

"Slap me, I think I'm dreaming, I just saw your noble brother polite to a hollow and sit on a dirty floor"

She absent-mindedly slapped him gently, also staring at Byakuya

"No kidding, that's what I'm seeing too"

Hichigo pointed at Hitsugaya

"_Please sit as well, I know this comes as a shock but we need to clarify some things"_

Hitsugaya didn't move

_Sigh. Stubborn guy…_

"_I said… __**Sit"**_

There was no physical contact, but something in Hichigo's voice caused them all to sit

"_I will tell you my story, but first I need to explain a few things, and I'm sure Urahara already knows some of this. Ain't that right, Sandal hat?"_

Kisuke, looked and Hichigo and smirked

"Long time no see, Hichigo"

Hichigo just grinned back

Urahara continued to listen, nonetheless

"_Okay, first off, you guys really have to change you ideas and understand. In Hueco Mundo, most of you think that only the strongest hollows, the Menos, make it to the level above, to join Aizen in Las Noches._

_That, is the worst mistake you can make. Those that make it to Las Noches are the Adjuchas and Vastro Lordes only, but it is not because they are strong, rather, it is because they are weak._

_For hollows, the law is simple. Eat, or be eaten. Those who are weak, are consumed by the stronger ones, so that they may advance to the Menos classes. If a Menos is consumed, the one eating them will gain a vast amount of energy. _

_That is why, those who are scared of dying, head to Las Noches as soon as they are able to. We call them the "High-landers" and refer to those in the forest as "true Menos". Among all of Aizen's Espadas, only one was a "true Menos". Ulquiorra Cifer. And he was a Adjuchas. _

_In the forest itself, if you know how to look, there are plenty of regular hollows, but the forest mainly consists of Gillians, with a thousand or so Adjuchas to lead them. Finally, there are a mere ten or so Vastro Lordes. _

_Out of these few Lordes, there are eight, chosen to lead all the hollows, they each control a segment of the forest._

_The direction they rule represents their level of power. The main four in order of power are West, South, East, North._

_These Eight are known as the Lords of the forest. Each having an immense amount of power, their strength all unrivaled, unlike normal Hollows, have names but unlike a normal hollow they have their own unique abilities and they can take off their masks if they wish"_

They understood the last line and stared at the hollow before them, who openly declared himself a Lord

But Hichigo continued on, not pausing

"_The next thing you must understand is that the balance of this world is equal. For everyone with a spiritual energy born, there is a hollow created. For the Hollows who attain a high level, such as a Adjuchas or Vastro, we get a name, which is similar to our shinigami counterpart. _

_For some of them, such as myself, we venture into this world, to find our counterparts where we have two options,_

_One, kill them_

_Two, fuse with their soul and co-exist with them_

_I have obviously chosen the latter, and so, Ichigo being my counterpart, I am Hichigo. For some of you here…"_

He paused, took in a breath and winced, as though something were hurting him

"_I have met your hollows as well. They do not necessarily have similar attitudes, looks or abilities, but they are your counterparts…_

_Emihiro is the name of Inoue Orihime's hollow. She was the Queen of the South. _

_And of course…"_

_Hichigo smirked a little before wincing again_

"_My mate, Aikru, the hollow of Kuchiki Rukia, Queen of the East"_

All the shinigami were shocked by the new facts, and yet, when they saw the sadness in Hichigo's eyes, they felt sorry for him

"_Ghiaccio dio Del, the current King of the South is Hitsugaya Toushirou's hollow, I assume._

_The rest are either dead, or have not obtained a high-enough status to obtain a name"_

Then Toushirou broke the silence

"So what are you, Hichigo?"

Urahara started walking away, already anticipating the events

"_Me?... I am Kurosaki Hichigo-…"_

Hichigo stood up and turned his around, beginning to walk slowly

"_-King of the North, Ruler of the Menos Forest, Leader of the Eight Lords, King of all Hollows"_

The effect of the last line was instant

Only Rukia, Renji and Ichigo did not pull out their weapons as the rest engaged Hichigo

"Grow! Hozukimaru!"

"Growl! Haineko!"

"Scatter, Senbonzakura"

"Bloom! Ruri' iro Kujaku!"

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

Five Zanpakutos hit Hichigo at once

"_Don't… I don't want to fight…"_

He swung his arm and the five shinigamis flew away in different directions

With the mere act of swinging his arm, Hichigo created enough air pressure to leave cuts on all their bodies

"You should know how dangerous it is for you to use your abilities, Hichigo-san"

Hichigo turned around and saw Urahara sitting on some rocks behind him

"_I know why they would want to attack me, but can you get them to stop?"_

"Why don't you do it? You have retained you skill of commandment, after all"

Hichigo sighed and saw them trying to attack again

"_**Stop**__"_

The shinigamis stopped in their tracks

"_Stand down please, I'm not here to fight, hollows may usually be crazy but we have emotions too, please, hear me out"_

Urahara nodded to them and one by one they kept their swords

Hichigo sighed again and a pained expression was on his face

"_To understand why the hollows are attacking you must hear me out… I have to tell you my story… and it doesn't have a happy ending…"_

All the shinigamis present, including Urahara, gave him their attention

"_Let me tell you… my story…"_

* * *

><p><em><span>Hueco Mundo, roughly 19 years ago<span>_

_Its cold…_

_The young hollow looked up, hoping to see the sky, but all he saw was the trees_

_I'm hungry… feed… must… feed…_

_He saw an injured hollow walking by him and attacked the hollow, without any second thoughts_

_He punched the injured one in the chest, sending him flying backwards_

_The hollow lifted up a hand_

"_No… stop… please…"_

_The newborn hollow didn't stop_

_He consumed the older hollow, tearing limb from limb and munching it down_

_The bushes around him rustled_

_He could hear some whispering_

"_That new guy took down an Adjuchas! You think we should steal it from him? He looks weak!"_

"_No… If he took down an Adjuchas as a newborn, it shows he has certain skills. Leave him alone. He very well could kill you"_

_The second voice sounded higher pitched. Female, his mind told him_

_But what was his name?... He didn't know… He couldn't understand it… he clutched his head in his hands and let out a blood-chilling scream as reiatsu engulfed him_

* * *

><p><em><span>Days later…<span>_

_Who… am I?..._

_The question had pounded his head for days… weeks…months…_

_He now towered over other hollows, they seemed to fear him, calling him "That Gillian"_

_He didn't mind. He didn't care. All he knew was that he was hungry. And he wanted to feast._

_He walked into a clearing and saw four new-born hollows fighting with each other_

_They took one look at the Menos and agreed to work together to take it out, before fighting amongst themselves, the winner would get all three's corpses and a Gillian_

_However, the Menos had a different idea…_

_Hungry… kill… eat…_

_A cero formed in his mouth and unlike other ceros from Gillians, it wasn't red, it was already green_

_The hollows were blown to bits by his attacks and he feasted on their remains_

_Again… the question came back to his head…_

_Who… am I?..._

_He continued on his search for more food, aware that his body was changing again…_

* * *

><p><em><span>Another week passed…<span>_

"_Master! Its him!"_

_A hollow ran up to the main chamber of the Meno's hideout_

"_Calm yourself you fool! You panic so easily you might as well die! You will never be a Menos!"_

"_But sir! Its-"_

_He hollow was interrupted midway by a hand which pierced his chest_

_The hand swung to the left and the dead hollow was sent flying_

"_Hichigo! What the!"_

_The hollow sitting on the throne stood up_

"_Kill-"_

_A hand was thrust through his mouth, a hole emerging from the other end_

_The other hollows in the room ran for their lives while Hichigo consumed the dead bodies of his victim_

"_Hiii-YAH!"_

_A hand attempted to hit Hichigo, which easily blocked it and lifted up the attacker_

_Hichigo pulled his other hand backwards and prepared to deliver the finishing blow, when he saw the attacker's face_

_It was a female hollow and despite her aggressiveness, Hichigo found her rather attractive_

"_Let me go or be done with it already!"_

_Hichigo decided to choose the former, putting her down_

"_Who are you? I can tell an Adjuchas when I see one"_

"_My name is Aikru, you're Hichigo aren't you? The one in the rumors"_

"_What rumors?"_

"_Some say you've already raided three hideouts, some say you only took a few days to make the transition from Gillian to Adjuchas, which has never been done before. Some say you fight like a demon"_

_She closed in on his face_

"_But most rumors say one thing. You've already attained a blue cero at Adjuchas"_

"_Does its color make a difference?"_

"_Of course. Red is the basic cero, green is the usual cero for an Adjuchas and only the Lordes have a black or blue cero, depending on their powers"_

"_Well I didn't know that"_

_Hichigo concentrated and a blue orb of reiatsu started to form_

"_No way… the rumors were true…"_

_Aikru bent down on one knee_

"_If you're so strong why did you spare me?"_

"_Because I felt like it, what's it matter to you?"_

"_I'm in you debt then, I'll follow you wherever you go and do whatever you ask me to. But in return please help me"_

"_Help you what?"_

"_Escape, from everything"_

_Their eyes met and Hichigo knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer_

_Sigh._

"_Fine, help yourself to some of the corpses here, it's a long journey ahead"_

* * *

><p><em><span>A week later...<span>_

"_Hey Hichigo, I brought back some corpses"_

"_Throw me one"_

_Grinning, she tossed him a particularly heavy Gillian_

_He carried it with one finger_

"_Aren't there any more fatter ones? This one feels too light"_

_Showoff. Hpmh!_

"_Aww, don't be pissed off by that" _

_He gave her his irresistible wink _

_Her defiance crumbled and she giggled_

_The bushed rustled and they instantly were alert_

_Then, a hollow with orange long hair stepped out from one of the bushes_

"_Oh? Looks like you've grown little hollow"_

_Hichigo recognized that voice, it was the one that told the others to spare him when he was a mere regular hollow_

"_So you are the rumored Hichigo huh? Stand aside then, you could be useful as my new slave, but I wish to kill the girl behind you. She took one of my servant's lives. An eye for an eye. I want hers"_

_Hichigo reached an arm out and pushed her behind him_

"_Over my dead body bitch"_

"_As you wish"_

_A black cero started forming in her hands and Hichigo remembered what Aikru had told him before_

"_Look out!"_

_He pushed her away and tried to avoid the cero as much as possible, but he wasn't quick enough_

_Damn it!... Aikru… run while you can…_

_His eyelids flickered and he could barely hear what was going on_

_She was crying over him_

_He tried to reach for her but winced as he saw the giant hole in his lower abdomen_

_He saw the Vastro Lorde advancing on her and wanted to shout for her to run, but his mouth wouldn't open_

_Aikru slammed the ground and froze the Lorde in her tracks, stunning her for a few moments_

_She grabbed Hichigo and used shonido to run away as fast as she could_

_As Hichigo fainted in her arms, the last thing he remembered was the worried look on her face_

_Damn… my eyelids feel heavy… _

_A drop of water hit his forehead and Hichigo sat up straight, wincing as he did so_

_The giant hole in his body was held together by ice, but it still hurt like hell_

_Aikru was sitting at the entrance of the cave they were hiding in and turned back to look at him when she heard the noise_

"_How long have I been out?"_

"_A few minutes…"_

_Her voice sounded weary_

"_You okay? You seem tired. 'Cos of using the ice skill?"_

_She nodded_

"_A few days back, while eating I realized my hand was freezing up the corpse. Since then I've been training and trying to perfect it"_

"_That's good…"_

_He limped over to her and noticed the tears still visible on her mask_

"_You've been crying, worried about me?"_

"_You idiot… She would have killed you if you didn't move in time… why didn't you just let her take me?..."_

_As a hollow, Hichigo never felt such emotions before, but he was slightly annoyed by her words_

"_Let her take you?... Are you seriously fucking stupid? I'd rather die then let anyone take you. Hell no. You aren't leaving my side. Not now, not ever. Understand me?"_

_She was speechless and could only nod as more tears formed in her eyes_

"_Come 'ere you crybaby"_

_He held her close to his chest_

"_Its okay, its gonna be okay… I'm gonna protect you"_

_He didn't know why he was saying all this, he didn't know why he said those things to her, all he knew was that he was going to keep his promise_

"_Sleep, okay? You're tired. I'll keep a lookout"_

_She nodded and lay down next to him_

_As soon as she fell asleep, he moved her aside and stood at the entrance of the cave_

_I'll protect you. Don't worry._

_The words echoed in his head as he stepped into the open_

_He sensed their presence, over a thousand different hollows were headed his way_

_There's only one way out… I gotta do it…_

_He turned back to look at her again_

_You aren't the only one who gained new powers…_

_He looked forward once more and put his hands on either side of the hole in his chest_

_He pushed hard, as though trying to compress the air and a small silver orb with a black outline started forming_

_The nearby trees started to whither, crumble and die, their reiatsu feeding the silver orb he held_

_He put his full concentration into his skill closing his eyes and not caring about anything else_

_**I'll protect you**_

_His promise rang in his head once more as the hollows started appearing around him_

"_Kurai Cero"_

_An explosion. A burst of white light, before the darkness consumed everything. Only one hollow left in sight._

_Hichigo stumbled back into the cave as Aikru woke up_

"_Hichigo?... what was that blinding white light?... what happened to your mask?..."_

"_Heh… stop being so worrisome Aikru… I told you… I would…protect…you…"_

_His voice trailed off as he fell to the ground, the cracked half of his mask shattering, revealing his pale face_

"_You idiot…"_

_She put his head on her lap and began using the ice to seal up his wounds_

* * *

><p>"<em>Just like that, we more or less understood how each other felt"<em>

Hichigo was looking at the floor, the pain he felt in remembering her was almost unbearable

"_Since that day, we began to discover more of our human emotions, we were still hungry, but avoided killing if we could. And everytime we weren't attacked, even if it were only a few seconds, we cherished every little moment we had together"_

Ichigo didn't realize he was holding Rukia's hand till this point and they both pulled their hands away, embarrassed

Luckily, the other shinigamis were too caught up in Hichigo's story to realize

Hichigo sighed and shifted positions, looking up at the fake "sky view" in the underground basement

"_Day after day, we lived and only consumed hollows when we were hungry. But given our strengths, it was unavoidable, the only thing was how long it would take"_

He turned to look at all of them

"_We eventually became Vastro Lordes"_

* * *

><p><em><span>Deep in the caves of the Menos Forest, roughly 17 years ago<span>_

"_Hichi-goooo~ time to wake up"_

_He woke up to find two deep turquoise eyes staring at him_

_He couldn't help but smile and pull her down_

"_Wha?- Hey!"_

_He held her close to his chest_

"_Shh… I wanna sleep awhile longer…"_

_He pressed his finger to the line on her mask which marked her mouth_

_She didn't complain and they lay there for awhile_

"_Neh… Hichigo… I feel hungry already…"_

_Sigh_

"_Me too… let's go then…"_

_They both stood up and headed outside, but once Hichigo stepped out, a breeze passed his nose_

_He pulled up his hand, blocking Aikru's way_

"_Hold up…" sniffs at the air again "she's here… Emihiro"_

_Aikru shuddered_

_Damn it… that orange-haired bitch didn't give up, did she?_

_Hichigo's fist clenched_

"_Come out and face me. Let's settle this today, just you and me"_

_As soon as he completed his sentence, a hand grasped around his throat and he was slammed into the wall_

"_You've got nerves boy, I'll give you that. No one has dared to challenge a Lord in a long time"_

"_Fuck. You."_

_Dark reiatsu gathered in his arm and he slammed it into hers, breaking it clean, sending blood spewing in all directions_

"_Cheh. I didn't think I would need to waste my energy on a small fry like you"_

_Her hand instantly regenerated and she flexed it_

"_High speed regeneration?... Fucking cheating bitch…"_

_Hichigo practically spat the insults at her, but she didn't flinch_

"_If you heal every injury I make, then I just have to finish you off before you heal"_

_He placed both hands in the center of his chest_

"_Sheesh… I really didn't want Aikru to see this skill of mine… but guess I got no choice huh?... lucky I perfected it just a few days ago… Emihiro… look closely and remember the ADJUCHAS who killed you"_

_A red orb started to form inbetween his palms_

"_A low leveled cero? What are you trying to pull Hichigo?"_

_Emihiro scoffed at his attempt_

_But before her eyes, the cero's color changed to green, then blue, then black_

"_Impossible!"_

_He held out her hands to form her own black cero_

_The cero turned silver with a black outline forming_

"_Kurai Cero"_

"_Cero!"_

_The two energies clashed but Hichigo's easily overpowered hers_

_She realized that as well and tried to run, but found that Aikru had frozen her legs_

"_DAMN YOU!"_

_Time seemed to stop as Hichigo sensed something different_

_Then his cero was frozen_

"_Calm down, Hichigo"_

_Another maskless hollow walked out of the bushes_

"_My name is Ghiaccio dio Del, and I would like to invite you to the palace of the North"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, you have the potential to lead the hollows, as one of the Eight Lords, your mate as well"_

"_So I assume you are a Lord?"_

"_Correct. I am the current Lord of the North"_

"_Why aren't you attacking me? I tried to kill her. Isn't she the Queen of East? She should be your ally right?"_

_Ghiaccio looked at Emihiro_

"_Kill her if you wish. But you and your mate must visit me after you have become Vastro. I sense great potential in the both of you"_

_He turned and walked away_

_Hichigo turned and saw Aikru shaking on the floor_

"_So… cold…"_

_He hugged her tightly and used dark reiatsu to wrap around them, warming her up_

"_Shh… its okay… you're with me…"_

* * *

><p>"It seems alright so far… what do you mean by a sad ending? And if Hitsugaya's hollow was the King of North, why are you King now?"<p>

Renji's questions bombarded Hichigo, one after another, completely interrupting his story

Hichigo put his face in his hands

"_That's because it isn't the end… I… committed the worst crime ever… I killed her and consumed her…"_

"Wait WHAT! WHO?"

Renji grabbed the hollow and demanded an answer as tears streamed down Hichigo's cheek

He didn't blink. He couldn't. He knew the tears would never stop if he did.

"… _Aikru…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Yes yes i know, my friend has told me that it was a little long, with too many fights, but this was a really last minute idea. (As in i changed his original story)<strong>

**Okay. so only 1 point though.**

**For those of you confused, this is the Facts about Hichigo thus far.**

**Rank : Vastro Lorde**

**Title : King of North, King of all hollows**

**Mate/Girlfriend : Aikru (Rukia's hollow, uses ice)**

**Rival/Enemy : Emihiro (Orhime's hollow, manipulates time)**

**Abilities : Total control over darkness (can manipulate into many forms), Powerful ceros [Kurai Cero (i used google translate so correct me if im wrong, it should be darkness cero)], high level sonido, commandment (the words in bold, commanding tone to make ppl do stuff he wants)**

**Tried to get up in the middle of the night again but failed cos i was too tired =( need to rush for tuition now **

**Yea... oh and i should add one note, i did poorly for exams so i might get banned from using my com, so keep your fingers crossed! **

**Hope i can update again soon! Pls review! ^-^ (This has been my longest, and in my frien's opinion worst, chapter so far)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Another midnighter... yes i've been having sleepless nights (mainly cos of my results)**

**would like to add on more, but i'll comment below ^^ GET ON WITH THE READING!**

**Disclaimer : I do not own bleach**

* * *

><p>Renji sat back down to continue listening<p>

Hichigo calmed himself before continuing

"_It was almost as if he knew we were changing. After that fight… the first meal we had that day… that Adjuchas we ate…"_

* * *

><p>"<em>Hmm…Aikru… I realized that you look really cute when you are eating…"<em>

_Hichigo chuckled_

"_Baka… you're making me embarrassed…"_

_Aikru turned her head away and Hichigo smirked as he took another bite out of the corpse_

_At once, he knew something was wrong_

_Pain surged from his chest and he tried to grab it, but he realized it came from the hole in his chest_

_What's happening to me!..._

_He fell face-first into the floor and saw Aikru doing the same_

_Damn it… _

_The pain was unbearable and he wanted to scream, but he couldn't…_

_His hand crawled across the ground and they met hers_

_He held her hand tightly, never wanting to let go, as pain consumed him and he fell unconscious_

* * *

><p><em><span>Hours later…<span>_

_Hichigo stood up and almost fell back down again_

_Damn it… _

_He was having a major headache_

"_Aikru?..."_

_The female hollow was no where in sight_

"_Aikru?"_

_He sounded more urgent now_

"_Not funny, where are you?"_

_No reply_

"_AIKRU!"_

_Only silence replied him_

_For the first time in his life, Hichigo felt scared_

_What happened if someone took her? Emihiro? Possible?_

_The fear turned into hatred_

_Damn it. Aikru, wherever you are please stay alive_

_He headed to the North, wishing with all his might that she would stay alive_

* * *

><p>"<em>Lord Ghiaccio, Hichigo is arriving"<em>

"_Good… where is he now?"_

"_He is past the third camp…"_

"_That leaves him only seven to go"_

"_Sir… eye witness reports also say…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_That he left our camp after obliterating it"_

"_What! Aren't there any Vastro in those camps!"_

"_Yes sir, three per camp"_

"_So?"_

"_The rumors were true sir. I personally checked on them. Camp one and two are nothing but dust now"_

"_He's strong…"_

"_Not as strong as you"_

_All heads turned in the direction of the new voice_

_Hichigo took another chunk out of the half-consumed Lorde's head in his hand_

_Ghiaccio was too stunned to react. The Adjuchas giving the report, however, attacked Hichigo_

"_Pathetic"_

_Hichigo punched the attacker and after a flash of darkness, only Hichigo was left standing_

"_Lord of the North, I have come upon your request, with one of my own"_

"_Sp-speak your mi-mind"_

_The Lord of the North stuttered, shocked by the new Vastro's abilities_

"_My mate is missing. I need you to help me find her. And if Emihiro is behind this…"_

_Hichigo grabbed Ghiaccio's neck_

"_I won't forgive her"_

_He put the Lord down_

_Ghiaccio choked _

"_She's alright. I can tell"_

_Hichigo was about to reply when he felt two people entering the room_

"_My lord… the new Queen of East has arrived…"_

_The Adjuchas bowed _

_Hichigo looked at the Lord_

_She was short and petite_

_Her hair was violet and her nose was small, like a button_

_But what caught his attention were her eyes_

_They were bright and their warmness contradicted the turquoise color_

"_Aikru?..."_

_His voice cracked slightly_

"_Hichigo?"_

_Her familiar voice rang in his head and he ran over to her, hugging her and never wanting to let her go_

"_Dammit… you made me so worried… why'd you leave me alone?... you know how worried I was?..."_

_He was relieved_

_She hugged him tightly too, before accessing her mate's new looks_

_He had white hair and a white cloak to go with it, his skin as pale as the moon_

_His eyes were black with yellow irises and an elaborate black mask hung on his shoulder_

_The mask was completely unlike his previous one. It now had horns and white lines running across it_

_He looked so different from his Adjuchas form, yet when they hugged she felt his familiar embrace_

"_Hichigo… I invited you here today because of two matters"_

_Ghiaccio had decided to break up the happy moment_

"_The first matter is with regards to your cero. Surely you have figured out how strong it is. Even as an Adjuchas, you easily overpowered the second strongest Lord. Your mate, similarly has ice abilities which may not be stronger then mine, but she has beat me by using them strategically"_

_Hichigo gave her a very surprised look which she giggled at_

"_This leads me to my second matter. As the ancient rules dictate, you have already beaten me and Emihiro, thus, I have called you here to inform you… that-"_

_He pointed at the throne_

"_You, Hichigo, are now the Lord of the North"_

_They were both stunned by this new announcement_

"_What about you?"_

"_I have taken the place of West, Emihiro has taken South. Aikru, being your mate, will not live in the East, and instead, will be here with you"_

"_Ghiaccio, but I…"_

"_Hichigo, you have been given great powers. Lead the hollows. I am not upset about losing the post, I feel that you will be more capable then me. Don't worry. You'll do just fine"_

* * *

><p>"<em>My happiness was not meant to last… barely a week after I became the Lord…"<em>

* * *

><p><em>Aikru rested on top of him<em>

"_Neh… Hichigo… now that we are officially…husband and wife…"_

_Both blushed at the line_

"_Why don't we visit Las Noches tomorrow? Just the two of us"_

"_That's a great idea, I'll tell Ghiaccio to take over duties just for tomorrow"_

_They both chuckled at the thoughts of a very annoyed Ghiaccio, complaining about how it was unfair that he didn't have a mate, as he usually did_

"_Since you got your request, now its time for mine"_

_Aikru pouted_

_Usually Hichigo's demands were very VERY annoying to do, like the time he made her run back and forth from the throne room to he bedroom like a hundred times, before he told her that he "forgot" that he had left the mask under the bed_

_But now…_

_He had sneaked his hand around her head and quickly pulled her in, pressing his lips against hers_

_She didn't object as his lips glided across her lips_

_She let out a soft moan and her lips parted, allowing his tongue to enter_

_Their tongues intertwined and their lips stayed locked_

_A day might have passed but neither of them cared, all Hichigo knew was that when Aikru pulled away, it seemed too short for him_

_Aikru's pale face had turned completely red_

_She smiled and jumped off the bed_

"_If you want some, come and get it!"_

_Hichigo grinned_

_So she's playing hard-to-get huh? _

_He got out of bed and quickly chased after her_

_Then everything went wrong_

_A scream broke the silence of the night_

"_Aikru?"_

_He knew the tone of that scream was different, she wasn't joking anymore_

"_Shit…" _

_He scanned for her reiatsu and found it in the throne room with another familiar aura_

_He clenched his fist till his nails dug into his palm_

_Using sonido, he quietly entered the room_

"_Emihiro… release my wife now… I won't ask twice…"_

"_Hichigo… hmm… well… I can't"_

_She grinned devilishly at him_

"_You see… some shinigami have entered Las Noches, looking for exceptionally powerful hollows and they have promised to give me some… prey-"_

_She licked her lips hungrily_

"_- if I manage to bring them some Vastro from below"_

_She shifted and behind her were Ghiaccio and Aikru, bound in an orange light_

_Seeing Hichigo's stunned look, she tried to bind him too_

_Hichigo sensed it in an instant and avoided the orange light which appeared where he was a second ago_

_He lift up his hand and the atmosphere of the room suddenly became cold. The air turned stale. The room dimmed_

_He understood her power the second his darkness surrounded the room. He couldn't interfere with the orange barriers_

"_Time… your power is control over time…"_

"_Correct. So how will you win? You cannot possible defeat time Hichigo"_

_She laughed, mocking him_

"_True… but I can…-"_

_He appeared next to her_

"_- kill you"_

_He swung his hand diagonally, dark energy emitting from it_

_The lower half of her body turned to dust_

"_Damn!"_

_Hichigo walked towards her_

"_Stop! Don't take another step. I'll kill them"_

_Hichigo stopped in his tracks_

_She smirked, she got him_

"_That's your weakness, __**King**__"_

_She mocked him, using his title_

"_You care too much about them, especially her"_

_She raised her hands and moved Aikru in front of her as her body quickly regenerated_

"_That was close… anyway, who knew?... the King would be so __**humane**__"_

_He clenched his fist as she stroked Aikru's cheek tempting him to attack_

"_Don't touch her with your filthy hands…"_

"_You can't beat me Hichigo, just accept that fact and come quietly… if you do I may still consider making you my slave"_

"_Like hell"_

_He lifted up his hands and darkness binded her legs and arms, temporarily breaking her power_

_They both recovered quickly, Aikru turned around, seeing Emihiro_

"_Wha-?"_

_Hichigo grabbed her _

_Using sonido he put her next to Ghiaccio, a safe distance away, before returning in front of Emihiro and beginning to charge his cero_

_But Emihiro was beginning to break from his bonds of darkness_

_Her eyes narrowed at his cero_

"_I know that move's weakness Hichigo. You wouldn't be able to move once you begin charging and if I distract you even one bit, that skill will backfire. You can't win Hichigo!"_

_As she said this, one of her arms broke lose and she aimed a blast of cero at him_

_Out of the blue, Aikru grabbed Emihiro, shocking everyone_

"_Get away Aikru! The cero's going to fire!"_

"_Let me go damn bitch! That thing can't be stopped once it goes off! Let me go!"_

_She continued to grab onto Emihiro and froze her to the ground_

"_Hichi… you know this has to end… if I let go she's going to get away, if she lives, none of us will be safe"_

_Tears formed in her eyes_

_He understood what she was going to do_

"_NO! HELL NO! I'LL FIRE THIS THING AT MYSELF! NO! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SACRIFICE YOURSELF"_

"_I have to. You know it can't end any other way"_

"_No! Get away! Aikru its at its limit! MOVE! We can always find other solutions! MOVE!"_

_She looked him dead in the eye and she just smiled_

_The next few seconds, Hichigo couldn't hear anything_

_He focused only on her_

_He knew she was stubborn and that nothing he said now was really going to change her mind_

_He closed his eyes and he knew his cero couldn't be held back any longer_

_He concentrated his full efforts and at the last minute, diverted the cero to try and avoid her_

_But it wasn't enough_

_Hichigo ran to catch her falling form as soon as he could_

_He had hoped with all his might that she could have gotten a light injury, perhaps even avoid it altogether_

_But her body, or what was left of it, said otherwise_

_Despite his last minute effort, it had taken off the left side of her body_

_At the rate she was bleeding, she only had seconds to live_

_He put her head on his lap and was touching her cheeks, as tears endlessly streamed down his face_

"_Aikru…no… damn…WHY'D YOU DO THAT YOU BAKA!"_

"_Hichi…"_

"_You're not going to die on me… no…"_

"_Hichi… don't… I want you… to promise me…"_

"_Anything"_

"_After I'm gone… consume me…"_

_He was stunned by her last wish_

"_What the hell was that! No. I refuse"_

"_Hichi… calm down… and listen… to me…"_

_She coughed and spat out some blood_

"_If you don't… that shinigami in Las Noches… will just send more people… and if I die… you know my corpse will…just be attracting hollows…"_

_Her breath was getting shallower and she reached out her hand to touch his face_

"_Hichi… promise me… 'kay?..."_

_Her last attempt at a smile_

"_I'll protect your body after you're gone, I don't have to do that. I can defend against anyone"_

"_Please?..."_

"_Why do you always have to be so stubborn..."_

_She laughed a little and coughed again. Her chest barely moved from her breathing_

"_Hichi… one last thing…"_

_They both looked into each other's eyes_

"_I love you…"_

_Her hand dropped from his face as she closed her eyes_

"_Now you tell me… I love you too…"_

_He pressed his lips against her cold, motionless ones, wishing hey would move once more_

_He lay her body down on the floor and stood up, before letting out a scream which could be heard throughout the forest_

_Ghiaccio was shaking at its force_

_Hichigo turned his head around and looked at the body of his dead wife_

_He didn't intend to keep his promise, but she knew that as well_

_Her body was slowly using the last remains of her power to turn into a ball of reiatsu_

_Tears fell to the floor with every step he took as he walked over to it_

_He lifted it up and could feel her warmth, radiating from it_

_He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice_

_This much exposed reiatsu, the whole forest would be after it_

_He lifted it up to his mouth and the tears continued as he slowly walked to his bedroom, fulfilling his last promise to her_

_He lay down on his bed and his mind was a blur_

_He was remembering every minute he spent with her, wishing that today had been nothing but a nightmare, that tomorrow he would wake up with her still beside him_

"_Hichigo… perhaps you should leave for now. Take a break. Maybe go to the human world"_

_Ghiaccio stood at his door, concerned for the only person he regarded as a friend_

"_Ghiaccio… what about Emihiro? I couldn't detect anything just now"_

"_I did… you missed a finger…"_

"_Damn..."_

_So she lived… Aikru had sacrificed herself and the bitch still lived…_

"_Ghiaccio… protect the other Lords. Assign new ones. Don't let her get what she wants"_

"_What about you?"_

"_I'm gonna take your advice… I'm going to the human world… but not to forget about this… I'm gonna hide there. With the power of two Lords in me, I'm the one she'll be looking for"_

"_You sure about that?..."_

"_My mind is set"_

_He placed his hand on Ghiaccio's shoulder_

"_Take my position. You lead the hollows. I know you'll do the right thing"_

_Hichigo stabbed his hand into the air and as he turned, the dimension split open_

"_We'll meet again soon. Promise me you'll keep our other brothers and sisters safe"_

_As he stepped through to the human world, the last words he heard were_

"_I promise…"_

* * *

><p><em><span>Karakura town, 16 years ago<span>_

_Hichigo stood on top of a lamp_

_He didn't need to hide his reiatsu, he knew they couldn't sense him_

_He heard a crying sound nearby and decided to check it out_

_It was coming from a small clinic down the road_

"_It's a baby boy! Misaki! We have a son! What do we name him?"_

"_How about Ichigo?"_

"_Like a strawberry? How cute!"_

_The newborn rested in his mother's arms, a few strands of orange hair on his head_

_Ichigo huh?... Well kid… welcome to this world… _

_Hichigo faded into the shadows, moving from one to another and eventually reaching the baby's, from which he slowly entered into the small, fragile body of Kurosaki Ichigo_

* * *

><p>"<em>After grabbing Dieu's arm, I knew he had turned. Simply because she was careless… her aura was all over his body"<em>

All of them had the same thoughts

Oh shit… please don't say it… anything but that person…

"_She will be coming… and every captain along the way is free food for her…"_

Hichigo turned back to face them, a look of anger upon his face

"_Emihiro has returned"_

* * *

><p><strong>My three friends reactions: NUUUUU! TEH BITCH HAS RETURNED!<strong>

**Yea okay. im pretty sure you guys can see where im going with this**

**one major thing that they all told me was that Hichigo's past and Aikru's death was quite predictable **

**So i hope you guys enjoyed it! im going back to sleep **

**You guys can probably thank my horrible test =x or it would have been uploaded only tmr night =P**

**SO AS ALWAYS PLS REVIEW! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! ^^ **


	7. Chapter 7

***Yawn* Yea...i've been having sleepless nights recently so i've had so much time to write this **

**I hope this chapter lives up to expectations ^^ START READING! ^^**

**Disclaimer : I do not own bleach, bleach owns me**

* * *

><p>Ichigo stayed behind Rukia as they walked along the road<p>

He was still thinking about what Hichigo had said

The hollow's crazy actions had been to forget about the past and get used to his new life

Ichigo finally understood his hollow's feelings and sad ending, yet he couldn't help but be jealous

He had a wife for crying out loud! And she resembled Rukia? What a lucky guy…

He sighed out loud and Rukia heard him

"Something on your mind?"

"Nahs… its no biggie, how 'bout you? Anything on your mind?"

"I was just thinking of Hichigo's story… the sad ending… what would you do if I died?"

He stopped in his tracks

The question had totally caught him off guard

"You can't die"

He flushed and turned away after blurting it out

"Why not?"

"Because I can't live without you! Anyw-"

He stopped midway and blood rushed to his face as he turned away

He had said too much, as usual

Rukia giggled and quickly planted a quick kiss on his cheek before turning around and skipping back home

He didn't know how to react and absent-mindedly placed his hand on the spot where she had kissed him

It felt warm

His lips curved up a little and he followed after her

Maybe I'm not that unlucky after all…

* * *

><p>They reached home together and Ichigo opened the door<p>

"ICHIGO!"

Ichigo tilted his head to the left and his dad went flying past his shoulder

"Ichi-nii! Welcome home!"

Yuzu came running out and gave him a hug, while Karin just waved her hand at him, her eyes still focused on the television

Ichigo just went up to his room and changed up, before heading out again

Rukia was standing outside the door, waiting for him

"Took you long enough"

She was pouting and that just made her look adorable

He couldn't help but grin

"Well, we have half a day, Byakuya is writing that report to the old geezer, so what do you want to do?"

"How 'bout we go to the mall?"

"Sounds good to me"

He hugged her from behind, sniffing her hair

"You smell good"

She blushed and buried her face in his giant palms

"Baka…"

He let go after a while and they walked awkwardly towards the mall, both too shy to take the other's hand

* * *

><p>Ichigo couldn't remember when was the last time he had this much fun<p>

Sure, the midget had annoyed the hell out of him by entering every store to check out its Chappy goods, but they also went for countless rounds of games at the arcade

Now they were watching a movie

He grinned and shook his head

They were always fighting hollows or on adventures, they rarely had time to spend with each other, not as shinigami comrades, but as friends

Or more…

Ichigo grinned at the thought as he inched his hand closer to hers, just as the movie was playing an intimate scene

When his hand finally rested over hers, he could see her blushing, even in the dark cinema

He decided to push his luck by pretending to stretch his arm… and wrapping them around her

She scowled slightly at the distraction but obliged, leaning on his shoulder

After that, no matter how he tried, he couldn't concentrate on the movie

He couldn't take his eyes off her, looking at the details of her body, as though it was his first time looking at her

Her small body, which was half the size of his own

Her skin, which was slightly pale, always making her look sickly and fragile

Her raven black hair, darker than the night sky

Rosy cheeks, which made her look so cute

A small button nose, which he felt like pinching

Her violet eyes, which shined, brightening up his day

She realized he was staring and turned away, blushing once more

"Watch the movie you idiot…"

"I'm watching something better than that…"

She elbowed his chest playfully, but his compliments were like music to her ears

They couldn't remember anything about the movie after that

Both kept stealing glances at each other and when they saw the other looking, they would turn away and blush, embarrassed again

* * *

><p>The movie ended too soon for their liking<p>

As they walked out of the cinema, they bumped into a familiar face

Renji and Matsumoto had just came out from another movie and seemed to be laughing

Upon noticing Ichigo, both stopped and Mastumoto moved behind Renji while the latter narrowed his eyes at Ichigo

Ichigo looked meaningfully at Rukia

He smirked and pulled her to his side, pointing up his longest finger to Renji

Matsumoto grabbed his arm as he tried to advance to hit the orange-haired guy

Ichigo, on he other hand, chose to walk away, pleased that he had probably spoiled Renji's day with those gestures

Rukia was grabbing on to his hand happily

Ichigo had annoyed Renji and he had done so for her

He looked so hot doing that!

She blushed at the thoughts

What's with me today! My face has been so red ever since he said he couldn't live without me…

Ichigo noticed she was burying her face in his hard and it felt warm

He checked his watch and grinned

"Follow me, don't say anything yet"

He pressed a finger to her lips just as she opened her mouth to say something

"Just follow me, 'cos you know I can just carry you anywhere I want to"

He gave her one of those evil "just-try-running" grins, as he pulled her along

Ichigo led her to the park, just outside the mall

He started going up a hill, still pulling a puzzled Rukia along with him

Many people were already at the top, leaving not much room

Tch. Damn… oh well… lucky she wore jeans today…

Ichigo started climbing the nearest tree and extended his hand out to her

"C'mon, its almost time"

Time for what?

She was still puzzled as she grabbed on to his hand and climbed up

He pointed out a direction and her eyes turned to face his "surprise"

Across the horizon, the sun was setting, creating a beautiful scenery

The clouds were a crimson red, with the shadows of the trees in the distance

She had never really seen a sunset. In Sereitei, she was usually kept so busy that she just didn't have the time

Ichigo saw the awed expression on her face and smiled

He took out his phone and snapped a photo of her, with the sunset as a background

"Ichigo…you brought me out here for this?... I missed my Chappy store to see this!"

Seriously?... I don't know what goes through to her-

His thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly walked over and hugged him

"Thanks… Ichi…"

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment, a couple of tears falling

No one had ever done anything like this for her before and she was glad the first one had been Ichigo

Good news, she was happy and hugged him

Bad news, she had hugged him while they were standing on the edge of a branch

Snap

"Owww…"

Rukia rubbed her head

"Baka! You fell on top of me"

He tapped her forehead gently before smiling, in spite of the pain from landing on his rear

Whew… lucky I chose a low branch… but why does my…

He looked down and his nose almost bled

Her hands… on… my… OH MY GOD!

He sat up abruptly, shifting his position

She looked at him suspiciously

"Is something wrong Ichigo?"

"Your hand… just now… it was… on my…"

It was her turn to blush a deep shade of red

They were behind a couple of bushes, which gave Ichigo some weird thoughts

AHH! Heck no!

He pushed the thoughts aside and looked at her

"Rukia… sorry… I didn't mean it in 'that' way… it just so happened… that…"

Her face was drawing closer as he was apologizing

"I me-mean… I just s-so… happened to b-be there…when you f-fell…"

He was stammering and his whole body was shaking as he leaned forward too

He could feel the warmth of her breath on his lips

C'mon Ichigo!

He was trying to move forward little by little without startling her, but was lacking the confidence

Rukia felt herself shaking with nervousness

Move! Just kiss me already you idiot!

She was mentally scolding Ichigo for not taking the initiative

After all, she had never kissed anyone or let anyone kiss her, aside from the time Renji forced one on her

Their faces were only centimeters apart

They could hear each other's heavy breathing and Rukia felt his warm breath as he hyperventilated

Both closed their eyes and moved forward one last time

_Hollow alert~ hollow alert~_

If there is a god out there, he hates me…

They both thought the same thing as they checked their respective hollow detectors

I'm gonna kill that hollow! Why now of all times!

Ichigo was severely pissed off by the hollow's bad timing

He was mentally cursing his bad luck as he pressed the representative badge against his chest and headed towards the source of reiatsu

Rukia was no exception

She was still recuperating from Dieu's attacks, which left her powerless, so hollow attacks wouldn't affect her for now

Or so she thought

Of all the days, of all the times!

She sighed, looking at his immobile body

If only the hollows had came a second later… we might have…

Her fingers brushed against her lips, where she had felt Ichigo's breath just moments before

She carried his body back home, still cursing the hollows for their untimely arrival

* * *

><p>Ichigo returned home after taking out the Gillians which had appeared<p>

What a waste of time! If they didn't come…

He sighed for the umpteenth time before re-entering his body

He could hear Rukia in the shower and thoughts flooded his mind as he resisted the temptation to barge in the toilet and kiss her

Instead, he decided to read some literature books, which lay on his bed, using them to take his mind off the matter

The door opened and Ichigo looked up

Rukia was wearing nothing, only a pink towel wrapped around her body and another around her head

Ichigo felt something leaking out of his nose

Rukia's face was redder than the sunset they had just seen

WHAT IS HE DOING HERE! HE SHOULDN'T BE BACK SO SOON! I'M BARELY WEARING ANYTHING!

She had accidentally left her clothes on his table, thus having to come out to get them

"Ichigo! Your nose is bleeding!"

She grabbed a piece of tissue and ran over to him, helping him clean it up

He suddenly grabbed her hand

"Rukia… let's continue where we left off"

He used his other hand to tilt her head up

Their eyes met and he moved closer to her

They closed their eyes

If Byakuya saw me now… I'd be so dead…

"Kozo… you have three seconds to remove your fingers from her, or I will remove them by force"

Even his voice sounded realistic…

"Three"

Wait a minute…

"Two"

They both opened their eyes and saw the Kuchiki clan leader standing next to them

"One"

Oh-…

"Scatter, Senbonzakura"

- Shit…

"It would appear there was a misunderstanding"

Oh gee, you think?...

Ichigo was on his bed, a now fully clothed Rukia applying some cream to his newly-created wounds

"But I am not sorry about my actions"

No surprises there…

"Under no circumstances will you do that again, are we clear?"

"We won't-…" he added in an undertone to Rukia, "…- let him see"

She resisted the urge to giggle, choosing to give him a small smile instead

"Good. Now on a different note, I came here today to pass you this"

A package and a hell butterfly… wow… I am sooo grateful…

"Er… okay… who is it from?"

"Captain-commander Yamamoto, of course. The report came back, and he has a message for you"

The hell butterfly rested on Ichigo's finger and Yamamoto's message was conveyed to him

"_Kurosaki Ichigo, taking into account all your previous contributions to Soul Society, it is my opinion, and of many others, that you should be recognized for your efforts. After receiving the reports of Captain Kuchiki and Captain Hitsugaya, I have made my decision. _

_As Captain-commander of the newly formed Gotei 14, I hereby promote you, to the captain of the 15__th__ squad. Welcome to the Gotei __**15**__, Captain Kurosaki. You will find the captain's haori inside the package, along with a Lieutenant's armband. Captain Ukitake has recommended Kuchiki Rukia to be your Lieutenant and I have approved. Should you choose to make a change, reply using this hell butterfly"_

The carefree little butterfly flew off his arm

Sure enough, when Ichigo opened the package, a white haori was in it, with the number fifteen on its back

He took it out placed it on his bed

He found the armband at the bottom and took it out

Below the number fifteen, the symbol of his squad was a Juniper flower

"Kozo, just because you have become captain, does not give you the rights to talk to me. I am still of a higher status then you"

Byakuya acting high and mighty as usual

Ichigo said nothing, turning his attention to Rukia instead

"Congrats Ichigo!"

She almost gave him a hug, but Byakuya's gaze was not too friendly, which really ticked Ichigo off

"Hey Byakuya, I forgot to congratulate you too"

Silence

"And what for? May I ask?"

"Oh nothing big… just Rukia becoming the new squad's Lieutenant"

More silence

"Why do you say that?" Byakuya had a strained smile on his face

"Oh no reason… just that-…"

Ichigo pulled her to himself

"…- She's about to transfer to become my Lieutenant"

Rukia couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a small giggle

He looked her in the eye and smiled

Captain Kurosaki… man it was going to be tough getting used to that…

Ichigo looked at his haori

15th squad, the Juniper, the one that protects

Byakuya's reaction? Well… If looks could kill…

* * *

><p><strong>^^"? I just realised im dead cos i wrote this instead of my testimonial, which is due this weekend D=<strong>

**So i have 4 points again (pls bear with me )**

**1. I hope the flower i chose was correct, (google said it was Juniper, but im pretty sure there are others too) if not, feel free to correct me **

**2. More then one person has told me that my english seems a little "forced", that is pretty true, mostly cos i speak singlish alot (mixing english with chinese and other dialects) so im sorry if my english isnt too good **

**3. I decided to add my friend's comments down here too (these are non-edited so they may not be fully in english). so there are 3 of them, (names secret) im going to use their nicknames, which also gives an idea of their personalities ;x**

**SickMinded : Walao... no lemon... alamak mai tease readers lei. wan kiss den kiss. dun beat bush**

**Player : AISEH I LIKE! romantic the max. add music make mood.**

**KempachiNo.2 : No fight not fun leh. lo-mantic ok lurhs but abit boring lor. **

**4. if and ONLY IF the situation seems appropriate, i will try adding songs into the story (Player : YES!) the song titles will be given at the bottom of the story**

**OKAY GUYS! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! REVIEWS PLS! **

_Quote : Without a fan, what is the point of being a star? Without an Audience, what is the point of putting on a play? Without students, what is the point of being a teacher? **Without readers, what is the point of being an author?** We are only successful because of those around us_


	8. Chapter 8

**OMG EZ OUT! **

**READ FIRST TALK LATER! xD**

**Disclaimer : I do not own bleach **

* * *

><p>"Kurosaki, what is the answer to the question I was asking Rukia?"<p>

Gulp.

"Erm… is it…why are you so short?"

"Trying to be funny huh?..."

"Er… nope… I don't know sensei"

"Well, I didn't ask a question to begin with"

… Byakuya, you asshole…

"See me during lunch break, Kurosaki. Now sit down and start paying attention"

He sat down and felt something slip in the back of his collar

Rukia winked at him and he grinned back

He slowly took it out and unfolded it, recognizing her messy handwriting and silly drawings

He suppressed a grin as he read her message

_Rukia : Don't let Nii-sama get you down! Gambatte, Ichi! ^^ 3_

Below the words were two oddly shaped bunnies hugging each other

He looked up at the noble, who was making an important announcement

"Now students, as you know, another month has passed. The principal has told me that this school has a tradition of holding a celebration at the end of every month, which serves as a stress reliever for all students. This month's will be held this Friday. I hope that none of you will cause any trouble for me… "

He stared at everyone, particularly Ichigo

"In other more subject-related news, the…"

He continued on, but as usual, Ichigo wasn't listening

Instead, he just had a great idea

He pretended to yawn and sneakily put the paper under her book, which lay on her table

She took it out and unfolded it

_Ichigo : Im ok. that guy doesnt piss me off =) I wanna ask you something later, 'kay? =P_

She looked back at him as he rested his head on the table and grinned at her

"Kurosaki, what did I just say?"

Ichigo stood up, rolling his eyes

* * *

><p>Rukia peeped around the corner<p>

Sure enough, she spotted the familiar orange hair

She walked right next to him and realized that he had leaned against the wall and fell asleep

A mischievous idea occurred to her

She tiptoed next to him and leaned in

"Kurosaki! What do you think you're doing!"

Ichigo jumped and stood straight, as stiff as a log

"Sorry Sensei!"

He heard laughter and turned to find Rukia clutching her stomach and leaning against the wall, laughing so hard her eyes were watery

"Hahaha… VERY FUNNY…"

He glared down at her with a very serious look

She choked a little and put on her best "innocent look"

He towered over her and growled a little

"What's going on!"

Byakuya came out of the staff room to check out the source of the ruckus

Ichigo was chasing Rukia in circles right outside the door

"Gotcha ya l'il midget!"

He grabbed her and they both fell to the ground laughing

Byakuya had not seen her smile like that in a long time, but…

"Doing this in public is not excusable. You will both be detained after school"

He turned and opened the door

"Kurosaki, I still do not approve of the relationship, but since I can see that Rukia wants to be with you, I shall permit it. However… If you make her suffer, I will return it to you tenfold"

And on that note, the noble went back into the staff room

"Er… you mind explaining what just happened?"

"I'm not too sure myself, but I think Nii-sama just approved of our relationship"

Ichigo was stunned for awhile, before smiling

"Well that's good news"

He closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder, hugging her from behind

Her face turned red again, as it usually did when he showed his affection

"Neh Ichi, what did you want to tell me in class?"

"I'll tell you when we get detained by your brother after school… let me just rest like this for awhile"

She could feel his breath against her neck and bit on her lip

"Ichi… we're in the middle of the path… people will see us…"

"So?..."

He pressed his lips against her neck and started moving upwards

"Ic-Ichigo….st-stop…"

Almost there…

He was already in front of her face and leaning in…

_Hollow alert~ Hollow alert~_

If there is a god… He hates me…

He sighed

"Damn… stopped by the hollows again…"

She didn't reply

Her heart was beating to quickly and she was feeling light headed

Ichigo pressed the badge to his chest, forcing his shinigami form out, before dashing towards the enemy

Rukia carried his now motionless body back to class, and brushed his hair aside to marvel at his face

On the staircase, a red-haired guy walked down the stairs and an orange-haired girl ran up, both their eyes watery from what they had just seen

* * *

><p>Ichigo felt the pain as he was heading back to school<p>

For once, it had just been a regular hollow. A single hollow. Not a Menos.

He was using shunpo and was halfway across the school field when a pain came from his chest

He looked down, but there were no injuries

The pain was excruciating and he lost concentration, falling to the ground

That's when he realized his shadow was extending

He struggled to stay conscious and saw Hichigo emerging from his shadow

"_Whoops… sorry king, I never tried this before"_

Hichigo scratched his head

"At least give me a warning… that hurt man…"

He panted for abit and rubbed his chest, the pain now having subsided

"_Gheez… you whine a lot… anyways king… can't you feel it? Something's different… that hollow was too weak, it wouldn't have came here by itself. Something came with it"_

"So what do you want me to do?"

"_Go to class and just wait, I'll scout things out and call you if I need you"_

Ichigo nodded

"Alright. Good luck. Meet you back at my house later"

"_Will do, oh and good luck with your 'question' "_

Hichigo smirked before he used sonido and vanished

Ichigo shook his head and shunpo-ed back to class

* * *

><p>Darn… I'm actually shaking…<p>

Rukia had to admit… she was nervous

It was already after school and she was waiting for Ichigo to remember what he wanted to say

But the idiot is just standing there yawning!…

She looked as Ichigo lifted his hand to his mouth to cover it

"Hey Ichigo… didn't you have something to tell me?..."

"Oh yea! Ano… Rukia… what I wanted to say was…"

_King! Incoming!_

Hichigo's sudden warning shocked him

Ichigo turned around and saw Dieu Tueuse standing in the hallway

Damn!... for the second time that day, he slammed his representative badge to his chest, while using his other hand to push Rukia behind himself

Not wasting time, he swung Zangetsu off his back and released a Tenshou at Dieu

HICHIGO! GRAB HER AND GO TO URAHARA'S! SHE HASN'T RECOVERED

_Okay, you think you can handle Dieu?_

Yea… Just get her away now!

As if on cue, Hichigo appeared, grabbed her and vanished, all in the blink of an eye

Ichigo placed both hands on his sword as Dieu swatted his Tenshou away

"Bankai!"

Black reiatsu covered him, but Dieu couldn't feel anything from him

"Tensa Zangetsu : Mikazuki"

Dieu took a moment to assess Ichigo's new looks

His sword's chain had extended and was now wrapped around his right arm

His hand was also covered in a black metal gauntlet, similar to the chain's material and his balde had somehow gotten thinner

But what attracted Dieu's attention the most was that his hair suddenly grew longer and his eyes were no longer full of fear, but replaced by calmness and confidence

"_If you think you're gonna beat me, you're so wrong Kurosaki. I am Ichimaru Gin's Hollow! The god slayer! Nothing you do will make a difference!"_

Dieu formed a sword in his hand, made purely of reiatsu

He extended his blade in the blink of an eye and lunged at Ichigo

The orange-haired shinigami felt his training return to him and anticipated the move

He calmly sidestepped the lunge and grabbed Dieu's sword with his bare hand, bending and breaking it.

Dieu was stunned by how much the shinigami's powers had increased

"_Impossible!"_

Ichigo pulled his hand backwards and whispered in a low voice

"Getsuga Tenshou"

Dieu saw multiple after-images of Ichigo, teleporting around and forming blasts of energy around him

"_Shit!"_

He dashed out just in time to see hundreds of blasts hitting the position he was a second ago

"Is that really surprising?... You overestimate yourself…"

Ichigo was leaning, back to back with Dieu

Dieu swung his sword, but Ichigo was no longer there

"Getsuga Tenshou"

Dieu instinctively used sonido, panicking

But he did not see the black energy blast

He turned around and was face to face with Ichigo's blade

Dieu spat out some blood, his collarbone sticking out of the injury on his shoulder

"_You bastard… you kept the Tenshou in the blade and slashed it at me, didn't you?"_

Ichigo chose not to reply, staring at him coldly instead

"_Didn't want to, but guess I have to use my full strength…"_

Dieu was behind him in a second, a fully charged cero in his hand

Ichigo shunpo-ed behing Dieu once more, ready to release another blast of Tenshou

Then Ichigo felt a wet sensation in his chest. He was bleeding. Dieu's sword was facing backwards and had pierced him

He broke it once again, but was hit by a cero

"Cheh…"

He spat out some blood and steadied himself, looking up to see Dieu charging another cero

He managed to dodge the second cero, but found another stab in his chest as Dieu extended his sword again

Once again, he found himself facing Dieu's cero

Damn it! I'm either going to be hit by the cero or the sword! No choice…. But I don't know how long I'll be able to use it…

He placed his sword slanted to the floor, his other arm on the gauntlet

"Tensa Zangetsu : Hantgetsu"

His reiatsu was enough to block Dieu's cero, yet the Lord still could not sense it

His hair had turned as black as the night sky and one of his eyes was red

But the most noticeable difference was that his blade was gone

"_How do you intend to beat me without a sword, Kurosaki?"_

Ichigo ignored the hollow

Remember… Focus… FOCUS…

His reiatsu gathered and formed a sword in his hand, which he just threw at the Lord, piercing his chest

Dieu pulled it out and was examining it when Ichigo was in his face and brought both hands down

In each hand held a Tensa Zangetsu made of pure reiatsu, which easily separated Dieu's arms clean from his body

"_Fuck!" _Dieu fell to the ground, struggling and tossing around

His new form was way stronger than the previous one, but such power was taking its toll on his body

Zangetsu had warned him that each time he changed his form, he was converting more of his own energy into Zangetsu's energy

His hands shivered and shook as he reverted into his Shikai form

Ichigo's vision was becoming blurry and his breathing heavy

He heard the air distort and saw Hichigo arrive

"_I've put her at Urahara's. She's waiting for you there. Time to investigate"_

Hichigo knelt beside Dieu and faded into the shadows

"_What are you do- AAAHHHHHH!"_

Dieu let out a blood-chilling scream as Hichigo entered his body and into his memories, seeking out all the information he could get

Dieu's head trashed back as he struggled on the floor spastically, his earlier wounds still streaming blood

After about ten minutes of screaming, Hichigo finally emerged from Dieu's shadow, but his already chalk white face looked paler than usual

"_King… we're in deep shit…"_

"What're you talking 'bout?"

"_I mean… I thought their target was you… but this asshole…-" _Hichigo kicked Dieu in the chest "_- has told them something else… he's been a spy…"_

Somehow, Ichigo already knew where this was heading

"And?..."

"_They've changed targets… they're now targeting…"_

"_That's right Ichigo! You guessed it! It's your chick! Shes gonna die and you ain't gonna do shit 'bout it!"_

Both of them sent a blast a Dieu and silenced him. Permanently.

"_I read his mind… they aren't gonna give up… and they don't plan on taking a hostage…"_

He understood what his hollow was saying, but he just couldn't accept it… they had only been going out for three days for crying out loud!

"Fuck… " Is god planning on torturing me?... what the hell man?... "Fuck…"

Ichigo started punching the floor as he swore, his punches getting stronger each time

"FUCK!"

Hichigo grabbed his hand

"_Stop. Your knuckles are already bleeding… you don't have to do it now… give it a few days…"_

"Do I have a choice?..."

"_You'd be putting her in danger if you didn't… I know it's hard to accept… but think it over Ichigo…"_

He closed his eyes and clenched his fist as his hollow entered him

No… I know what to do… I'd rather end it now… the longer this takes… the more she's going to get hurt… I have to do it…

He stood up and walked towards Urahara's, his face emotionless

* * *

><p>The door slid open and an orange head appeared in the hallway<p>

"Ichigo!"

The little midget tackled him as he walked towards them

He completely ignored her, turning to Byakuya

"Kuchiki, I need to speak to you now. In private."

The noble raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything, turning around and walking into an empty room

"What was that about?"

Renji held his hands up in an "I'm innocent" pose

Rukia was curious and slightly annoyed by the shinigami's actions. He rarely looked at her brother, let alone talk to him. And why was he ignoring her?

After ten long, and for Rukia, torturing minutes, they emerged from the room

"C'mon… lets go back"

She looked into Ichigo's eyes and saw that he didn't say this with his usual cheeriness, but with a more monotone expression

"Okay spill it Ichigo. What happened? First, you totally ignore me. Now you are completely emotionless. You're even meeting up with Nii-sama! What happened when you were fighting with Dieu?"

He tried to remain as calm and composed as possible

"Nothing happened… but now that you mentioned it… I wanted to tell you in school… I don't think this is working out…"

"What's working out?" She was totally confused by his statement

He took in another breath

"I mean us… I don't think its working out…"

Ichigo stood up suddenly

"I… just don't think we should be together… I'm going out for awhile…"

He couldn't stand it and walked out the door

Did he just break up with me?...

Rukia tried to take the news calmly… but the sudden breakup was abit too much for her

She hugged her knees close to her body and cried her eyes out, wondering how a day that had started off so well, had become a nightmare

Ichigo slammed the door in frustration

In the past minute, he had almost ran back up to his room to take it all back, restraining himself only at the last second

Fuck… FUCK!...

He had seen the pain in her eyes when he broke the news and would be lying if he said he wasn't affected by how much pain she was feeling

He walked to the roadside and sat down, placing his head between his knees

Damn… fuck…

He continuously cursed himself as he felt a raindrop hit his head

He looked up and saw the dark clouds looming above, a drizzle already beginning

It was as though god himself was mocking them

Its raining in Zangtsu's world too… why does the rain feel so…lonely…

Ichigo couldn't stop his body from shaking as he recounted all his moments with her, his teardrops blending in with the rain

* * *

><p>It was already Wednesday… two days since he had spoken to her at all…<p>

Finally her powers had returned and she was fighting hollows again, but he didn't even coordinate with her, just crushing every hollow with his brute force

The only small conversation they had was on the night he broke up with her, after he had returned

"_Ichigo… what you said… were you serious?..."_

_He took off his wet shirt and shook his head, letting rainwater fall off his hair_

"_Yeah…"_

_His voice cracked slightly, but she didn't notice_

"_So… what did you tell Nii-sama?..."_

"_Oh… I'm going to be practicing with Hichigo as much as possible now… and I told him that Dieu was dead…"_

"_Oh… okay…"_

After that, he barely even looked at her

Two people in particular were happy about this news

Inoue seemed happier after she saw that the two were less intimate and took her opportunity to try and win Ichigo over

Renji was doing the exact same thing to Rukia, after informing her that he was taking a "break" from his relationship with Rangiku

Rukia considered going out with Renji just to piss the strawberry off, but she just couldn't do it…

For the orange-haired guy, the situation was almost the exact opposite

Unlike Rukia, who chose to still mingle with her friends and hide her pain, Ichigo was making the world suffer with him

When he was with her, he grinned everyday. Now, his face always wore his trademark scowl

The way he looked at every teacher made them flinch, his eyes were constantly filled with an indescribable pain and anger at the same time. Only Byakuya could still look him in the eye.

Things were awkward between the two of them

Rukia still slept in his cabinet, but the pas two days, when she came home, ready to question him, he was asleep or not at home at all

On the day when she found him asleep, she stared at his face for awhile and remember the good times, before turning in

Of course, Ichigo was never really asleep. He pretended to be, before making sure she slept soundly

He couldn't sleep. Ichigo knew how much his actions hurt her and he had endured two sleepless nights already

While she was asleep, she would sometimes whimper his name, her voice thick, as though about to cry, causing an invisible hand to close upon his heart

No matter what, he had sworn to keep her safe. Even if it meant he had to give up his own happiness for it

His half closed eyes were focused on the whiteboard, but he was barely listening

Ichigo's mind was only semi-conscious, his mind constantly training in Zangetsu's realm, constantly wanting to get stronger

_Hey king… lets take a break… you've been at it for two days already…_

Ichigo panted, fatigue was written all over his face

"No… keep going…"

He charged at his hollow and their blades clashed again… and again… and again…

I'm weak now... but for her sake... I have to get stronger...

Ichigo's face was full of confidence as he charged once more

* * *

><p>This is starting to get really annoying…<p>

Rukia walked in silence, fully aware that Ichigo was behind her, yet neither making an attempt at a conversation

Neither notices a dark figure around the corner, watching their every movement

Rukia headed up to the room first, Ichigo heading to the nearby convenience store

She sits on his bed and sniffs at his pillow while reading her novel

Why can't I just forget that strawberry?...

* * *

><p>Something is different…<p>

Ichigo sensed a disturbance in the atmosphere, something was not right

"Shit… I've got a bad feeling about this…" He pressed his badge to his chest, dashing off in the direction of the disturbance

Byakuya was panting

Toushirou couldn't recall the last time he heard the noble breathing so hard, but then again, considering the opponents they were faced with, it wasn't surprising

Two Vastro Lordes and by the description Hichigo had told them, one of them was a Lord

"Shit…" The genius was also short on breath

Their opponents had already forced them to activate their Bankai, but didn't even seem to be serious about the fight. If anything, they seemed amused

Byakuya raised his hand and the hollows were surrounded in a sphere of pink petals

His fist clenched and the petals compressed, but when they exploded, nothing was there

The tenth squad captain turned around and saw a hand grab his robes

He was flung to the other Vastro, who used his arm and swatted the captain away, as though he were a fly, crushing the captain's ribcage in the progress

The other grabbed Byakuya's outstretched arm and pulled it downwards, ripping his arm free of its socket

The Kuchiki fell downwards, a broken bone jutting out from his new wound, with blood flowing freely

Just before he hit the floor and lost consciousness, he saw an orange flash

* * *

><p>Ichigo put both the captains down on the floor<p>

Where's Renji!... isn't he supposed to be with them!... these aren't light injuries… gotta end this quick

Ichigo heard the wind rustle and instinctively pulled up his blade, blocking an attack from the Vastro

"Cheh… piss bad timing you guys… I ain't in the mood for a fight now…"

The Lord's eyes widened slightly and his eyebrow was raised

Ichigo's reiatsu concentrated in his arm and turned from blue to black, coating his body in it

He slammed the Vastro away and his sword morphed into its sleek black form

"Bankai. Tensa Zangetsu : Mikazuki"

They blinked and he was behind the Vastro

"Getsuga Tenshou"

His expression was calm as he held the energy in, choosing to swing the charged blade down on the hollow's shoulder, right across his midsection

He turned around to the Lord, who was still eyeing him curiously

"One down, one to go"

He dashed towards the Lord, firing multiple blasts of energy along the way

The hollow easily avoided them and his blade clashed with Ichigo's

They exchanged blows evenly, each occasionally managing to leave a small slash on the other, but neither breaking the pace

"_You fight well for a shinigami… what is your name?..."_

Ichigo grunted as their swords met and held in place, both blades shaking from the force

"Kurosaki Ichigo… how 'bout yours?"

"_My name is Ukito, the new Lord of the East, taking the position of Dieu Tueuse"_

"East huh… that's great… 'cos I was the one that killed Dieu"

He pushed more force into his blade and the blades shook violently

Both jump backwards and unleashed a blast of energy, before continuing to rely on their brute force

Ichigo was the first to make a severe mistake, faking left and heading for a upward slash across the Lord's chest

He almost pulled it off, but felt a cold solid object enter his stomach

He looked down at the blade which had pierced him and grunted, before spitting out some blood

Ichigo swung sword at the Ukito, who blocked with his arm and got cut

But Ichigo saw some energy flowing from his injuries to his other hand

Ukito swung his uninjured hand at Ichigo's shoulder, but Ichigo felt as though his hand had been a blade

"_So you've realized…"_

Ichigo took an involuntary step backwards, the blade pulled out from his gut

Ichigo winced, but said nothing

"_My ability is simple, you attack, I reflect. That is why even Emihiro respects my ability, because nothing she does can stop it"_

"Tsch…" Ichigo kept his distance, firing his Tenshou, only to have them reflected at him

He continued firing, Ukito making the occasional taunts, but after firing about fifty or so Tenshous, Ichigo saw a way to counter attack

He charged towards the Lord, who prepared his sword to block the attack

At the last second, his chain disconnected from his arm, wrapping around the Ukito, chaining his arms to his side

Ichigo jumped backwards

"Till now I haven't been able to use a few of my powers… but since you attacked the other captains… I should take this opportunity-"

Ichigo was engulfed in black reiatsu and his eyes changed from brown to red

"- don't 'cha think?"

He pulled the chain towards him, Ukito being dragged along, unable to do anything

Ichigo lifted his hand to his face

"Let's try it…-"

He pulled down and a mask with horns appeared

"_- shall we?"_

A black blade appeared in his other hand and he grasped on it tightly

"Mugetsu"

He swung it down, black, overpowering reiatsu attempting to engulf Ukito

The Lord was panicking and trying to use Sonido to escape his fate

Then he felt a hand close on his throat

He turned around and saw Ichigo charging another blast

"_At least I completed my assignment… while you've been so busy fighting me, I wonder what will happen to your poor girl?..."_

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock at Ukito's statement, but he was already swinging his arm down

He quickly used shunpo to get away as two giant blasts of Mugetsu crushed the helpless Lord in between

He could feel his powers already almost depleted, but now was not the time to take a break

Barely conscious, Ichigo dashed towards his home

It was times like this where he wished his dad were home

Shit… Why did I ever leave you alone!...

Ichigo reprimanded himself as he pushed his shunpo to go faster

* * *

><p>Rukia sat on Ichigo's bed, putting on his headphones and using his ipod<p>

_**So what do I do…**_

_**Now that I know we're through…**_

She recalled the night he said they were over…

_**Wish that I could move on…**_

_**Cant let go its too strong…**_

The look in his eyes…

_**Just like that and then you're gone…**_

_**Is this how you wanted it to be?...**_

Why?... Ichigo… why?...

_**Everything you had to say…**_

_**Sent the tears right down my face…**_

She tossed and turned on his bed, whimpering slightly

_**Now I'm trying to escape…**_

_**The misery…**_

She bit her lips as she felt her eyes tearing up

Ever since he saved me all that time ago… at the execution… I already…

_**Why don't you love me?...**_

_**The way I love you…**_

Doesn't that strawberry know what he means to me?...

Her hand clutched her chest

_**It feels so crazy… cause I don't know what I did to you…**_

_**If you're gonna hurt me… then do it quickly…**_

What did I ever do wrong to make him…

She put her head on his pillow, sniffing it

'_**Cause I'm tired of cryin'…**_

Rukia recalled all the times he had held her tightly, his familiar strawberry scent

_**If you don't wanna stick around…**_

She buried her face in his pillow as she remembered him walking out the door, two nights ago

_**Then baby forget about me…**_

Her body shook as she cried, totally oblivious to the person who had entered the room

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned around

Her eyes widened and she bolted upright, moving backwards, pillow still clutched tightly in her arms

"_**Rukia… relax…"**_

* * *

><p><strong>Okay... sorry it took so long im just so lazy these days *yawn* plus the fact that my EOY's are coming up n i need good results for a good JC (junior college)<strong>

**so here are my 3 friends comments on it ^^ btw they wanted me to edit it cos they used too much Singlish in it =x**

**SickMinded : I loved the scene in the hallway... mostly cos i suggested it after trying it *wink wink***

**Player : NUUUUU u has broken up my ichiruki n for that u shall dieeeee! but at least u finally added a song in. for that i shall kill lesser**

**KempachiNo.2 : fighting. gore. i love this chapter ._. .V,,**

**Btw yeah...finally i put in a song... cos Player was jumping on my head (almost literally)**

**the lyrics of the song are in bold and italics, the song is **

**Forget About Me - L'il Bit (httpwwwyoutubecomwatch?v=ABaWoXLBRa4) Fill in the with appropriate symbols ^^ (c'mon it dun take a genius to figure it out)**

**As for the last line...well who do you think it is? ^^**

**LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, PLS REVIEW! =DDD**


	9. Chapter 9

**ITS OUT!**

**READ FIRST TALK LATER!**

**Disclaim : I don't own bleach**

* * *

><p>"Rukia… relax…"<p>

The raven-haired girl pointed her hand at the shadow and concentrated her energy to her palm

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"

The red ball of energy formed in her hands and fired

"Woah! Rukia! Relax!"

The lights flickered on and Renji stood in the room, his hairband burnt from her attack

"Oh… sorry Renji… I just thought… well… never mind…"

Renji walked over to his childhood friend

"What happened to you?" he lifted up her chin "You told us you were okay with the breakup. So why're you crying?"

"I'm not…"

She swatted his hand away

"Anyways… what are you doing here?..."

Renji looked away, his face reddening

" 'Ca-cause I was in the neighbourhood… an-and I saw that strawberry ass running out… so I thought… maybe I would drop by to visit you…"

"Oh… I see… well I'm not in the mood for your usual arguments Renji… so if you don't mind… could you get out?..."

He looked up and saw her putting on her headphones already

"Rukia! Listen to me!"

He grabbed her hand and yanked her towards his body

"Oww! Renji let go!"

Unlike Ichigo's method of dragging her around when he wanted to, Renji's felt more like he was about to crush her hand

"No. Look at me"

She did reluctantly, annoyed by his actions

"My time with Rangiku was short and stupid. I was angry with you that day and I'm sorry for hurting you okay?... Rukes come back to me…"

Renji pulled her closer

And she slapped him

"Right. Like I'm going to fall for that. You made your own decisions. I don't care." She was screaming so loudly that Renji flinched "What was it you said that day? Oh yea! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY LIFE!"

She grabbed the nearest book she saw and threw it at his face

The redhead suddenly jumped past her in his shinigami form

"Howl! Zabimaru!"

Rukia turned around and saw him swing his sword at another figure in the room

Brown long hair, which reached her waist, red eyes, with a mad glint in them

She remembered Hichigo's description. There was no mistaking it. Emihiro was in her room

* * *

><p>Midget! It's my fault! Whatever you do… Don't die on me… Please…<p>

Ichigo's black hair shortened as his Bankai changed form

His eyes were closed as he prayed for her safety

Then, he saw a familiar red-head thrown out of his room

Dashing over, he caught the unconscious Renji

For a second, he thought maybe Rukia had punched him out, but he realized that it just wasn't possible

For one, Rukia didn't have that kind of strength ever since Dieu drained her energy

And… she doesn't do that to her best friend…

Ichigo's eyes had noticed the injuries on Renji's body

His leg was reduced to nothing but a stump, with his bone broken and protruding out of the wound

His chest had bruises on his vital points, clotting up his flow of blood and screwing around with his reiatsu

Ichigo thought it could not get any worse, until he saw Renji's zanpaktou

Zabimaru was nothing but a handle and half a hilt, the blade itself nowhere in sight

He placed the lieutenant on the roof of a building, before hearing a scream

A shock went through his body when he recognized the scream

"Shit!" Ichigo swore as he dashed towards his house

* * *

><p>Rukia was pinned against the wall<p>

Renji was already thrown out of the window and her powers had barely recovered

Emihiro's eyes narrowed slightly and she clenched harder, making Rukia flinch

"_This is the shinigami that the king's human form fell for?... pathetic…"_

Rukia felt a blade slide through her arm and screamed out in pain

"_Good… scream, and he will come for you…"_

She twisted the blade sideways, Rukia's bone cracking as she did so

Emihiro blinked, and the girl was gone

"_Oh?... Seems that you've gotten faster…"_

Hichigo put Rukia down on the floor before looking to Emihiro

"_You dare show your face before me?... I know what you've done, I've been to the forest and seen it for myself… you won't escape this time… this is revenge for Aikru, Ghiaccio and all the other hollows you killed…"_

One moment, his arm was coated with his reiatsu and pressed against her blade, then whe was pushed forward from behind

She stumbled forward and saw his hand swinging down

Emihiro rolled aside, but barely made it in time

Hichigo turned his back on her and swung his hand down, a giant white blade appearing in it

He rested it on his shoulders

"_You forget that even without training and choosing regeneration over strength, that I was nicknamed the beast for my speed and raw power"_

Hichigo vanished and reappeared behind her

"_So you best not let your guard down…"_

She rolled again, avoiding his slash, but leaving her open to the next one

His blade cracked the floor, but he made use of it, turning his blade sideways and swinging it horizontally

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

_Tsch… Ichi is going to kill me for this…_

His attack had blown Ichigo's bed into nothing but splinters, with nothing but his wardrobe left in his room

"_So the title of king isn't just for show huh?..."_

Hichigo blinked and felt his hand swinging forward

_Huh?... what just happened?..._

He felt his body moving out of its own will, swinging the Tenshou once more

But this time, Emihiro jumped backwards and avoided the attack

_I don't get it… what just happened?... didn't I get her with the attack just now?..._

He felt her blade cut down on his arm and jumped backwards looking for anything that was amiss

_Her hands… orange light?... is she messing around with the time stream?... Only one way to find out…_

Hichigo started unwrapping the black bandages on his Zangetsu, before wrapping them around his own hand

"_What are you doing?..."_

Hichigo didn't reply, instead, holding the bandages in both arms, he twirled Zangetsu in midair

After about three cycles, he changed his stance mid-spin, sending Zangetsu flying at her, like throwing a spear

Emihiro tried to dodge, but was a second too late, the blade piercing her

Hichigo blinked

He felt the sword spinning above his head and saw the orange sparks

He smirked

This time, Hichigo jumped forward after throwing Zangetsu towards her

As expected, she avoided it

He grabbed the handle and swung it in a wide arc at her

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Right after firing the blast, he grabbed her by the hands and an orange light engulfed them

Hichigo blinked

Emihiro was standing at the same spot again, but this time, he wasn't swinging his sword

A shocked expression crossed her face

"_Ace in the hole, cracked"_

Hichigo grabbed her neck and dashed outside, where he could sense a familiar reiatsu arriving

* * *

><p>Ichigo sensed his hollow's presence and lifted his head up<p>

Sure enough, he saw the pale-skinned hollow outside his window, lifting up what seemed to be another girl

"_Ichigo, target practice. C'mon"_

"Who is that?..."

"_Tsch…didn't you tell me to protect Rukia against anything?... strike first, ask questions later"_

Brown hair?...

Then he saw the mask hanging on her belt

His hollow had a point, when it came to enemies, attack first, ask questions later

The length of his chain fell off his arm and wrapped itself around his blade

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Hichigo held on to her neck till the last second, before just barely evading the attack

He used sonido and disappeared, re-appearing next to Ichigo

"So, mind telling me who that is?"

"_Obviously, you weren't listening when I described all our enemies…"_

"Uh-huh… I got better things to do…"

Hichigo turned to the smoking mass

"_You can try reversing the time, but since I released so late, it'd be a waste of you energy wouldn't it?"_

"Time?...woah woah… hold up a sec here… you mean that's?..."

"_Took you long enough to realize…" _Hichigo shook his head at the shinigami's late realization

Emihiro stepped out of the smoke, her arm already regenerating

Both Hichigo and Ichigo's hands tightened on their swords

"_**Let's go**_"

They charged at her

* * *

><p>Rukia clutched her bleeding arm and stumbled towards the open hole in the wall<p>

She could only see flashes of white and black surrounding Emihiro, both in perfect synchronization, one attack after another

Once or twice, she managed to catch Ichigo's face, full of determination

Hers, in contradiction, was of uncertainty and worry

Her hand clutched her heart, as she sat amongst the rubble, the other arm hanging limply by her side

Ichigo… be careful…

Ichigo kept up his relentless attack, looking for loopholes in her defence

His previous training with Hichigo had not been in vain, he didn't seem as tired after using two Mugetsu blasts

His senses also seemed sharper and he was paying attention to every small detail in Emihiro's movements

Hichigo had already told him Emihiro's abilities, so he knew that brute force was pointless

Then an idea hit him

"Hichigo! Come 'ere for a sec"

The three of them took a pause from their fight and Ichigo told the hollow his idea

"_Not bad Ichi, not bad at all"_

His hollow grinned widely and gave him a high-five

Emihiro's eyes narrowed, as she took in deep breaths, suspicious of what they were up to

Hichigo placed both hands on his Zangetsu, as a white reiatsu wrapped around him

The hollow emerged from the smoke wearing a white cloak and wielding a white blade

"_Bankai : Shingetsu"_

Black chains wrapped themselves around Emihiro

She turned around and saw Ichigo, who easily sneaked behind her while she was distracted

Another chain flew to her and wrapped around her body, a white one this time

Both Ichigo and Hichigo grinned, before letting out a barrage of Tenshous

White and black energy met at one point, crushing the female Lord

Ichigo released his black energy, blast after blast

He nodded to Hichigo and they let loose one last blast, larger then the rest

The orange-haired captain breathed heavily as he waited for the smoke to clear, then his jaw dropped

Ichigo could easily watch horror movies like SAW without flinching, but what he saw sent shivers down his spine

Emihiro trashed in the chains, her body a wreck

Despite her high speed regeneration, a mere quarter of her face remained, her neck connected to her body only by the skin

Her legs were nowhere in sight and her chest was torn into bits, scattered all over the place, exposing her insides

She attempted to raise her hand for a rude gesture, but her fingers were all missing, save the middle one

We totally let loose! How the hell is she still alive!...

Ichigo was at a loss for words

"_Don't you see? You will never be able to beat the Lords! Dieu and Ukito were merely fakes! You think we would let such weak people be Lords? HA!"_

Blood dripped down her neck as she laughed at them, the madness in her eyes more obvious than usual

Hichigo nodded at the shinigami before turning into the shadows, entering her mind

Unlike Ukito, Emihiro did not struggle, but closed her eyes, placing the Hollow in a time lock, within her mind

As soon as Hichigo's white chains disappeared, she pulled her hands up, breaking Ichigo's chain

She disappeared and re-appeared next to Rukia, grabbing the petite girl easily

"_Now that the king is within my body, I have no use for this girl. Let me return to Hueco Mundo, or I'll kill her"_

"NO!"

Emihiro lifted her blade to Rukia's face

"Wait! I'll trade it. My life, for hers"

Ichigo pointed Zangetsu down, leaving himself open to an attack

"_Hmm…. Of course, if I kill you then Hichigo will have nowhere to return to…"_

"Tsch… I don't want to. What's my life to you?" Rukia spoke for the first time throughout the fight

"_It doesn't matter to me, but you seem like that hollow…. The one Hichigo would have died for…" _Emihiro's eyes closed with understanding

"_No wonder he chose this human, they are so much alike, willing to die, just to protect"_

"We have a deal, she has nothing to do with this! Now let her go!"

"I don't want to!"

"Rukia, shut the fuck up!" His words were like a slap to her face, silencing her immediately

Ichigo's head hung low

"I don't care… Emihiro, honor your words"

He stuck his right arm out, as a gesture for her to slice it off

The Lord put the girl down on a nearby roof and dashed forward, reappearing behind the shinigami

Ichigo did not flinch as he felt his arm being separated from his body

"There, you've already taken an arm. Now leave her alone"

Rukia absent-mindedly lifted her hand up, as though trying to reach him

Gash after gash appeared on his chest as Emihiro toyed with her prey, careful not to cut any vital organs

Rukia felt tears slowly slide down her face as she sat there, unable to do anything

Emihiro stopped in front of the shinigami

"_This isn't fun unless you scream, like a whimp"_

She pulled her hand back and plunged the sword into his chest

He fell down on one knee, coughing up blood

"Ichigo!"

Rukia motioned to move forward, but found her legs bound by an orange light

Ichigo coughed again and shook his head, before using his remaining hand to cover his new wound

Shit… that definitely went through my lung… fuck… I can't let her see me like this… she's been in enough pain…

He looked up at Rukia and smiled, his eyes watery and his mouth covered in blood

"I'm okay… Rukia… sorry for everything… just… forget about me, okay?... I don't ever want to see you in pain…-" He paused to cough again "- I've only got a few more seconds to live huh?... seesh that's annoying…"

He sighed and looked up again

"Hey Rukia… did I ever tell you… that I love you?..."

The ghost of his last smile etched on his face, his head drooped down and his chest stopped moving

"Ichigo?... ICHIGO! GET UP! You can't die on me!... ICHIGO!"

Emihiro just laughed at the scene

Ichigo's reiatsu slowly disappeared and he fell to the ground

Rukia bit on her lips and closed her eyes

No... He can't be dead…. No….

She pointed her hand at Emihiro

"You're the one that caused all this! Hado 33: Sokatsui!"

Emihiro easily deflected the blast, still grinning

The attempt at another kido was too much for the petite girl and she collapsed to the ground, barely conscious

Emihiro laughed at them

"_Hahaha! What a pathetic couple! Neither can stand up straight against me and I'm not even one of the stronger Lords!" _

She pointed to her elbow, showing her as the North-West Lord, weakest of the eight

Then the headache started, a crack sound in her mind

She fell onto the roof, clutching her head

Hichigo appeared from her shadows, looking exhausted

"_A time lock inside your own mind?... You bitch…" _Hichigo spat before entering Ichigo's shadow once more

* * *

><p>Ugh… Why is it so heavy?... Is this what it feels like to die?...<p>

Ichigo felt as though he was suspended in the water, like when he was training with Zangetsu in the Dangai

"_Oei, Ichigo! U ain't dyin' on me man"_

He felt something lift his arm and turned around to see his hollow lifting him upright

"_Emihiro was locking me up in her mind with those bloody time things. That's why I couldn't get out to help earlier. That said, it still wasn't easy getting out"_

Hichigo paced around in the empty space and looked at the shinigami

"I'm going to use it. I'll take the risks. If I just stay like this, you won't be able to escape later. They'll take us both"

"_But can you stomach the price? I've already warned you"_

Ichigo took in a deep breath, but his gaze did not falter

"I don't care"

"_Well then you know what to do, and focus on what you want, it is the only thing that keeps you sane"_

* * *

><p>Rukia almost passed out when the air suddenly became denser making it hard to breathe<p>

Ichigo's body started emitting its usual black reiatsu, this time accompanied by an unfamiliar red one

His arm raised up and slammed the ground, cracking it

He pushed himself off the ground, the smile no longer on his face

The hole which Emihiro pierced grew larger and made up the center of his chest

When Ichigo opened his eyes, they were black, with yellow irises

* * *

><p>Ishida, Inoue and Chad all turned their heads in the direction of the energy, two of them recognizing it<p>

Ishida's mind flashed back to the top of Las Noches, when Ichigo had beaten Ulquiorra, the reiatsu had been the same

He clenched his teeth, hoping he was wrong

* * *

><p>Ichigo stepped forth through the reiatsu, now looking exactly like his hollow, the only difference being their colors<p>

"_**Won't…let…you….touch…her…Must…protect…Rukia…"**_

His voice sounded like a mixture between his own and his hollows, an underlining authority in it

Emihiro scoffed at it

"_You must be desperate Hichigo! Asking the human to use 'Instinct'? Ha! What a joke! He probably couldn't beat a Gillian!"_

She would have continued, but Ichigo just appeared next to Rukia and opened his palm

His black blade flew to his hand and he swung it down

The only thing remaining of the roof was the point where he stood on, Rukia behind him

"_**Don't… move… I'll… protect…"**_

His head spasmed as he turned it slightly to catch a glimpse of her

When he turned back, Emihiro had already fired a cero at him

Ichigo just opened his hand and blocked it, barehanded

He lost it and let his hollow's instinct to kill take over

Rukia covered her ears as he let out a demonic scream, cracking the nearby walls

The hollowfied Ichigo swung his sword towards Emihiro, sending air currents at her, which shattered all the neighboring houses

The Lord barely avoided the attack, rolling aside, finding her face landing into his palms

He grabbed her by the head and dragged her through the town, finally throwing her back after reaching the end of the street

As she crawled on the floor trying to escape, a foot stomped on her head

Rukia stumbled and leaned on a wall, seeing Ichigo place his horns on either side of her neck as a cero began to form, already ripping Emihiro apart

"_You will never win! Fuck all you shinigamis!"_

As she swore for the last time, a red light exploded, reaching up to the clouds above

The dust soon cleared, leaving only Ichigo standing, his transformation still intact

* * *

><p>The Quincy arrived first, eyes widening in shock when he saw Ichigo's form<p>

Inoue and Chad arrived mere seconds later and saw their friend pointing his arrow at the hollowfied figure

Inoue recognized the form, but Chad, oblivious to it, saw it as a threat

The Mexican pulled his fist back

"Rukia! Duck!"

The young Kuchiki did as told, pulling her head down and avoiding the blast of energy

Ichigo stepped forward shakily, his human consciousness unable to control his hollow's killing instincts

He pulled up his blade and swung it forward once more, this time faster then before

Chad was getting ready to block the hit when another figure dropped in front of him, a haori with the number 13 on his back

Ukitake caught the blast with one end of his blades and transferred it to the other, before firing it back at the hollow

Ichigo waved his hand at the oncoming blast and it disappeared

He was about to attack again, and suddenly found two hands wrapped around his waist

"Ichigo… stop…"

He turned slightly and saw her burying her face in his side, cheeks still wet from her tears

A large palm rested on her head

"_**Ru**_...**ki**..a…"

She tilted her head up and saw his mask fading away

Her violet eyes watched as his hollowfied body changed back to its usual form

Ichigo turned around and wrapped his arms around her small body, his thoughts completely focused on her as his eyes closed

* * *

><p>In the shadows, a person stood watching the whole thing<p>

He grinned and took a step back into the darkness

_"You want to beat me with that, Hichigo? you're going to have to do alot better..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Spoiler : Obviously Ichi doesnt die, i dont like sad endings =(<strong>

**lets get down to the usual dry questions =x**

**1. Why did i take so long?**

**Well, i have not been feeling the best lately, getting minor headaches every other day and having one major one just last week. If you felt that something was amiss with this chapter, you were right, because i didnt write this chapter, what i wrote is in a bin. this chapter was written by my 3 friends and i merely edited. when i let them see the original one, they said they would work on another and asked me to wait. i re-edited the orginal 20 over times, but it just wasnt good enough for u guys =(**

**2. Will I be posting again anytime soon?**

**Highly unlikely. I have finals coming up to decide if i can get into a college. That means super mugging... =( although i will write whenever i have the time to =x**

**SickMinded : I didnt do much really**

**Player : Romantic scenes were mine and i'm still single if anyone is wondering ;)**

**KempachiNo.2 : I luved this chapter. mainly cos i wrote most of it. and i love Emihiro's look after taking the hits. cos it made the rest of them throw up ^^ WHIMPS~**

**Bit confusing for some of you? it'll be explained in next chapter =3 **

**Oh ya, and for any of you who wonders why Emihiro didn't die when taking so many fatal hits, its cos my idea was for her regeneration to be wayyyyy better then Ulqiorra's, so even if there is a speck of her left, she'll be back. *hint hint***

**PLS REVIEW! HELPS ALOT! - i dont know how many times i've said this, but it really does help **


	10. Chapter 10

**Short chappie cos im already working on 11 ^^**

**Was thinking of putting it all in one chapter, but was taking way too long **

**Nuff talking! read on!**

**Disclaimer : I do not own bleach**

* * *

><p>"Rukia… you can't just sit there and do nothing, I mean, its already been two days…"<p>

A warm hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up to see her brother standing above her

"Nii-sama… but…I can't leave him…"

Byakuya said nothing, but his hand slid off her shoulder as he turned around and stepped out of the room

The others looked at him, but he only closed his eyes, and shook his head

Two days had passed since the fight, two days since Ichigo had fallen unconscious

* * *

><p><span>Two days ago,<span>

The door slammed open and Urahara tilted his head up to look at the small figure standing at the door

Rukia was breathing heavily with a recognizable orange-haired boy over her shoulder

Urahara ran forward and caught her, just as she collapsed

By the time the rest arrived, he had already put them on beds and was examining the extent of damage to their bodies

A white figure stood by the door, looking very tired

Ukitake and Shunsui stared at the Ichigo look-alike and pulled out their blades

Hichigo raised up his hands

"_Hold up, I'm not your enemy"_

Neither captain lowered their weapon

Hichigo sighed

"_**Please lower your weapons…"**_

Both captains did, but realized a split second later and did not hesitate to attack the white figure

* * *

><p>Hichigo leaned against the wall, Zangetsu prompted up next to him<p>

Urahara closed his newspaper

"40 houses destroyed, 30 dead and 5 seriously injured, with others yet to be found in a freak earthquake across Karakura town"

He chuckled and hid his mouth behind his fan

Ukitake and Sunsui turned to the pale figure

Ukitake was the first to break the silence

"So he's Ichigo's hollow and he's on our side?"

The elder Kuchiki took a sip of tea before replying

"It would seem so, and while we are at it, would you mind explaining what happened?"

His body, like Toushiro's was wrapped in bandages after their fight with the fake Lords

His glared slightly at the hollow, who merely shrugged

"_The move which I taught Ichigo was an incredibly complex hollow move. He was only able to pull it off because he had done so once before, when fighting the 4__th__ Espada during the winter war" _

He nodded towards Inoue and Ishida, the two who had witnessed the form before

"_It is called 'Instinct' and like its name suggests, one reaches down into his subconscious and relies purely on his primary instincts to fight. Everyone is born with the capability to do it, including shinigami, but so far only hollows have been able to do so, and even amongst us, it is rare_

_However, Ichigo is a different. Hollows which posses a human carrier are usual on poor terms with each other and the Vizards had hollows born in them, not possessing them"_

Hichigo looked towards the shinigami captain lying unconscious on the bed

"_Using the skill will not only increase the user's power temporarily, but even after its duration is over, the person permanently gains a vast knowledge of his own abilities, which would have normally taken much training to obtain_

_But, like I said, few have used it and its side effects are mostly unknown, but one which is definitely on the list for first time users, is an overstrain of the muscles and a brain re-boot"_

"So Ichigo is going to be fine?"

Hichigo looked at the girl who was healing Rukia

Despite the resemblance to her hollow counterpart, Hichigo could tell that Inoue meant no harm

"_Yeah, that thick skull of his will be just fine, you may want to concentrate on healing that white haired captain and Rukia though"_

Ukitake looked confused by that statement

"What do you mean?"

"_I told you that Ichigo's abilities would increase while he was in his instinctive form, so do you think the slash he aimed at you was a mere regular slash? His wrist twisted over a thousand times in that split second, you may have blocked the main blast, but what about the others?"_

As if on cue, a crack started appearing on Ukitake's blade

The captain turned around and watched as the crack grew

Small cuts started appearing on his haori and they began to grow larger

Wounds started opening all over his body and blood flowed out of them, staining his robes

He managed to stay conscious as Shunsui transferred reiatsu to him, in an attempt to heal him

Inoue tried to seal up all the cuts that were appearing on Rukia, but for every one she sealed, more appeared

Byakuya and Toushiro were able to see that the casualties in this fight were severe

"At least, with Emihiro dead, its over, isn't it?"

Hichigo lowered his head and shook it, letting out a sigh

"_Wish it were that simple…"_

"What do you mean?" Byakuya's eyebrow raised slightly

"_I mean, when I was looking in Emihiro's mind, something was amiss, as though someone expected I would check her mind and removed something. The only clue we have is a shadow in the dark that she called master"_

Shunsui turned around and stood up

"Well, it is better then nothing. I will head back to Soul Society and inform the Captain-Commander of these events"

The 6th squad captain and the hollow nodded

Rukia stirred slightly and tossed around moaning

"Ichigo…"

Byakuya sighed and Hichigo chuckled

"_She's a brave one, I can see why Ichigo loves her so much. But you need to watch over her"_

His face was suddenly serious and the elder Kuchiki turned to face the hollow

"What do you mean?" His voice was dangerously cold

"_When she was carrying Ichigo, she was trying her best to heal him, which I can understand, but subconsciously in doing so, she was absorbing any excess hollow reiatsu off him"_

Byakuya's eyes widened when he grasped the hollow's meaning

He turned back and stared at his sister

Some of her wounds had a thin white layer covering them, emitting reiatsu similar to a hollow's

A hell butterfly flew through the Senkaimon that Shunsui opened and landed on Hichigo's shoulder

"Everything that you know, use your thoughts to put them in the butterfly. I will deliver it to the Captain-commander and the other captains"

Hichigo nodded and stepped outside

Rukia tossed again and opened her eyes slightly and asked in a barely audible whisper

"Ichigo… Is he okay?..."

Inoue looked up and saw her trying to reach for the shinigami next to her

Slightly annoyed and jealous by the sight, she pulled the younger Kuchiki's hand back down

"Kuchiki-san, your injuries are still healing, it'd be best if you don't move, and don't worry, Ichigo is fine"

She waited until she was fully healed and then sat beside Ichigo whenever she was free, but refusing to eat anything or sleep

But he remained unconscious

* * *

><p><span>Present day<span>

"She's going to faint if she doesn't eat, ya' know"

Byakuya sighed and turned to the sandal hat wearing shop owner

"I know, but she's stubborn when it comes to that kid"

Urahara grinned

"But you trust him, and, you like the fact that he will take care of her"

The sixth squad captain scowled

"I know they both love each other and I approve, but that doesn't mean I like the boy. When he told me he was going to break up with her to protect her, I admit, I was taken aback, because it was the first selfless act I have seen him do for her, so if he does wake up, I won't like it, but I will approve of it"

It was the first time Byakuya had ever made a long speech commenting anyone and they all knew it

Kisuke's grin widened

"I hope you heard all of that Kuchiki-chan"

Byakuya turned around and saw Rukia standing behind him

"Nii-sama, is what you said true? The part about why Ichigo broke up with me?"

Byukuya turned around and gave the shop owner a I'm-gonna-kill-you-later glare, before facing his sister

"Rukia listen to me, he knew what he was doing. He knew that if anyone told you the reason behind the breakup, you'd never give up. He wanted to put you out of harm's way"

He rested his hands on her shoulder, and unlike the cold hands she remembered from before, they suddenly seemed warmer

"If he saw you like this, what would he think?"

Rukia said nothing and nodded, grabbing her schoolbag

"I'll eat in school and be back later, alright?"

She smiled slightly before waving her hand at them and running after Renji

The others sighed slightly after she left

It had been so long since they saw her smile

* * *

><p>Rukia clutched her forehead as another wave of headaches hit her<p>

After she woke up, headaches seemed to come and go as they pleased

She laid her hands on top of Ichigo's

"You should have seen Keigo's face when Tatsuki punched him today, it was almost as if he was caught between being happy and being shocked"

She smiled slightly

"They all miss you Ichi… so when are you coming back?..."

"He'll be fine… now come, I've already asked Tessai to cook some food for you"

Kisuke placed his hand on her head

"Ya' don't want Ichigo to call you a midget when he wakes up do y- Opf! "

Rukia's fist had landed on his chest, causing the ex-captain to cough for awhile before grinning

In spite of herself, Rukia couldn't help but giggle too

She stood up, turned around and walked out, not noticing that Ichigo's fingers twitched slightly

* * *

><p>A raven-haired girl?... A town?...<p>

"C'mon strawberry! Come catch me!"

Rukia…her name was Rukia…

He chased after her, quickening his pace

"Hey! Wait up!"

He lifted his hand up and reached for her

But she kept barely out of his reach

She darted around the corner and he followed suit, jogging slightly now

When he turned around the corner, she wasn't there

"That's weird… "

He scratched his head and looked down, only to find that he was sinking into the floor

He shouted out loud and flailed his arms helplessly

A white figure dropped down in front of him, holding a giant sword

"_C'mon, you can't keep your friends waiting for you, that ain't right"_

He extended his pale hand

Hichigo…. This guy's name is Hichigo….

He reached for the hand and grabbed it

Memories flashed in his mind, the fights with hollows, the adventures he had, followed by a blinding light

* * *

><p>His opened his eyes slightly and blinked multiple times before bolting upright<p>

Every muscle in his body ached, but he put that aside

He slid open the door and ran out, looking around wildly

There she is!...

He ran towards her with his hands stretched out

"Rukia!"

The younger Kuchiki was surprised to see a orange flash charging towards her and was even more surprised when he hugged her, especially in front of everyone else

She could feel her brother's cold gaze on her back

"Ichigo! Let go! You're squeezing too hard!"

The boy's eyebrows tightened

"Ichigo? Who's that? Rukia, where is this? Who are they?" He pointed to the other shinigamis before scratching his head

"Rukia…. Who am I?..."

* * *

><p>After calming Ichigo down and assuring that they were all friendly people, they started questioning him<p>

"I don't remember anything except nee-chan and a creepy white guy called Hichigo"

He would scratch his head while replying with a wide grin, after which, he would give Rukia a hug

Rukia's eyebrow twitched in annoyance once again

It was like dealing with a six year old child… a really large, orange headed six year old…

"Rukia nee-cha-" She cut him off by lifting up her hand, blocking his face yet again

The others giggled slightly, but were silenced when she glared at them, her face fully reddened

Even Byakuya could not resist as the edge of his lips curved up slightly

They were all relieved that he had come back, despite his memory loss

"Well if we're done here, lets go down"

The shopkeeper chuckled slightly seeing the look on their faces

Rukia spoke first

"What for?"

Kisuke lowered his hat, giving a very sly smile

"To test Kurosaki's new abilities of course"

* * *

><p>The trapdoor opened to reveal a staircase, unlike the previous times when there was a staircase<p>

All the shinigami raised their eyebrows at the sandal hat, who simply shrugged

"I can change what this room looks like anytime I want" was his simple answer

Ichigo, in contrast, was fascinated by the sight and dashed down the stairway, tripping and landing at the bottom with a thud

"You fool!"

As usual, she was the first one to run over and help him up, as well as smack him on the head

"Ahh… the power of youthful lovers"

Urahara walked past the other shinigamis, chuckling as he always did

The basement had become an endless patch of open field, with a light breeze

Renji whistled

"How did you manage all of this?"

"You forget that I used to be the head of the development beau? I simple morphed the reiatsu structure of this place to my liking, and the breeze are just random bursts of reiatsu"

The glint in his eyes sent a slight chill down the other shinigami's spines

"Now! Let us begin!"

Without any hesitation, he let loose a bloodmist blast in Ichigo's direction

"AAAAAAAHHHHH! NEE-CHAN! SAVE ME!"

The orange haired boy ran and ran, doing a comical jump at the end to barely avoiding the attack

The ex-captain did not let up, firing blast after blast, till Ichigo decided to hide behind Rukia

"Nee-chan! I thought you said they weren't enemies! So why is Urahara-san attacking me!"

A pale hand rested on his shoulder as Hichigo emerged from his shadows

"_You guys are aiming at the wrong target"_

Ichigo turned around and saw his hollow leap over him, landing next to the shop owner

The hollow lifted his large blade above his head

"_Since I'm in his head, I know exactly what Ichigo remembers, so let me tell you guys 2 mistakes u made"_

His grin broadened

"_One, he's still human, a hit like that would kill him._

_And two, you guys are focusing on the wrong thing"_

He caught the representative badge that Hitsugaya was throwing to Ichigo and brought his blade down

"_Getsuga Tenshou!"_

The other shinigami understood and reacted too late

Ichigo turned to run, but saw the blast headed for Rukia instead

Flashes of images appeared in his mind

A dark night… a crazy laughter… overwhelming power… a scream…

He clutched his head as it throbbed in pain

Her scream broke his trance and he dashed forward

"Are you crazy Hichigo! She hasn't healed yet!"

The other shinigami held Byakuya back from attacking the white figure

"_No…. I was right"_

As the dust cleared, a black blade similar to his own stood in the ground, held by the orange-haired captain

He tilted up his head and only the more experienced people caught the sudden blue aura which appeared in his eyes

Ichigo lifted up the blade and rested it on his shoulders

"No one can hurt her"

* * *

><p><strong>First of all, i'd like to address the guy called TJ who commented : Yes, i have this chapter planned out already, no i cannot tell you what is going to happen, BUT i want to thank you for your kind comment and suggestion ^^ they weren't out of line. in fact, when im having a writer's block, i sometimes need these kind of comments ^^<strong>

**Seeing as how i released this chappie halfway, these are what the 3 "judges" have to say ^^"**

**SickMind: wish rukia could have taken advantage of his unconsciousness and wish ichi made use of his amnesia...if u get what i mean ;D (we literally punched him in school after this comment, dont worry, nothing was broken...yet ;) )**

**Player: wont spoil it for u guys here, but this first half was the more "boring" bit ^^ **

**KempachiThe2nd: why'd u change my nickname? (cos i felt like it =P) i have to agree with player on this one, stay tuned for chapter 11 =D it gonna b a blast. literally xD**

**So yeah, no spoilers here, if i take too long, its cos im lazy + im mugging really hard (the 3 of them can support this statement) + i got addicted to a new manga (GE-Good Ending, the girl looks JUST LIKE RUKIA =DD)**

**AS ALWAYS PLLLLLSSSSSSS REVIEW ^^ mostly cause i get blocks frequently =(**

**Oh yea and guys(and gals) my 3 friends actually have some stories to post on FF, but as usual they are lazy, so its probably going to be on my account. I have seen all their work, and personally i'd say Sick's has too many lemons and Kempach's has too much gore, but Player's is fluffy ^^**


	11. Chapter 11

**Player: Its out. and i think it isnt too great...but what can i say?... oh yeah... Fernal punishment +1week for fighting in school**

**Kempach: That guy deserved it == **

**Sick: Let them read in peace already =(**

**Disclaimer : We do not own bleach**

* * *

><p>The captains were astounded<p>

Mayuri had once attempted to make it more convenient for shinigamis to fight hollows, attempting for gigais to wield zanpakuto

Both shinigamis which volunteered for the experiment had succeeded… in wasting their lives

The process simply required too much reiatsu and concentration for anyone to handle

Yet… before their very eyes…

Byakuya snapped out of it first

"Hichigo are you crazy! What do you think you are doing!"

The hollow said nothing, pulling his sword back into a defensive stance

In a split second, he was already on the floor, the sharp edge of Ichigo's Zangetsu pressed against his throat

"Don't you ever try. To do something like that to nee-chan. Ever. Again. Otherwise, I wont stop my arm from swinging down this time"

As he finished his sentence, Hichigo's Zangetsu landed right behind Renji, cutting off his famous "pineapple" hair

As the lieutenant cursed and swore, Hichigo stood up, pushing Ichigo off him

"_Yeah I understand, but get your memories back quick ya' hear? 'Cos I'm not gonna let some amnesia-ed freak be the king"_

At that moment, another wave of headaches hit Rukia, stronger then before and she felt her hand subconsciously lift itself in the direction of the hollow

A voice echoed in her head, unlike anything she had heard before

_Hichigo…_

She saw the other captains rush towards her as she passed out

* * *

><p>As Rukia walked behind Ichigo, she couldn't help but think about everything he had done for her<p>

She turned away, blushing slightly

"Nee-chan, you got a fever?"

The captain rested the back of his hand against her forehead

Her face reddened even more

He has absolutely no idea what self-consciousness is!...

As she walked away, quickening her pace, Ichigo was left on the street floor, wondering what he had done wrong to deserve that slap

* * *

><p>That Ichigo…<p>

Memories flashed in her head as the water droplets slid down her body

She remembered… that day in the hallway… when Ichigo had…

Her hand absent-mindedly touched the back of her neck

Rukia's face reddened suddenly and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the hot water

"Ichigo…"

Suddenly, the floorboard outside creaked

"Nee-chan! Are you done yet?"

She detected a hint of worry in his voice

Damn it… I shouldn't have told them about my headaches…

She wrapped a towel around her body and tied her hair in a bun before opening the door

"What did you call me for Ichi-"

She was stunned by what she saw

Then blood rushed to her face

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

BAM! CRASH! BOOM!

Ichigo's face slid down the wall

With her face still glowing red, Rukia stood towering over him

"I won't ask again! What were you doing with my…"

She turned away, unable to continue and lifted up the object in her hand

"But nee-chan! It's so cute! You still wear those with Chappie designs on them!"

A vein appeared on her forehead

In a matter of seconds, Ichigo was in a headlock pleading for mercy

"I'm sorry nee-chan! I won't do it again!"

Rukia laughed at the sight of his expression and fell to the floor

Ichigo used his hands to support himself up and leaned over her

"Nee-chan… you look so great when you smile"

He smiled his idiotic grin and her heart skipped a few beats and she turned away again

"So you came looking for me, anything you want?"

"Oh yeah… Nee-chan… -" a rare frown appeared on his face, "could you… hold my hand to sleep?... please?"

Eh?... EH!...

"NO!" she stood up and headed to her wardrobe, her cheeks burning

He stood up and blocked her way, now a scared look on his face

"Please nee-chan?... I… I'm scared… I only can remember you… I don't want to forget even you…"

She could hear the fear in his voice as every word he said shook slightly

"Fine…"

Oh my god… how did it end up like this?...

She felt so awkward, looking at his back, his hand outstretched and clutching hers tightly

Yet… he looks so peaceful…

A light snore filled the air and his chest steadily moved up and down

She smiled and buried her face in his back, taking in his scent

I hope Ichi comes back… but while this lasts…

She closed her eyes, her face able to feel his warmth, as she slowly drifted off

She could not remember much of her dream, only how it ended

She opened her eyes slightly and saw his back

Then her vision blurred and suddenly she was looking at a paler back, with a dark night in the background

"_Don't touch… my Hichi…"_

* * *

><p>Rukia bolted upright and checked her surroundings<p>

It was a bright morning as usual and Ichigo was still sound asleep

But she couldn't help but wonder what was happening

What was that voice?...

"Nee-chan…"

She turned around

Ichigo was hugging a bolster and drooling all over it

"Pfft…"

She covered her mouth just in time to hide her laughter

He seemed so peaceful in his sleep…

She smiled and slowly slid her small hands out of his large ones, before heading to the showers

* * *

><p>"Rukia~ Hey~ are you there?~"<p>

A hand waved pass her face yet again

"Huh?"

She looked up and saw her usual girlfriends looking at her with concern

"Ah… its nothing, I was just day-dreaming"

She flashed a tiny smile, which calmed them down

Rukia glanced over to Ichigo's seat, but as planned, he was absent

* * *

><p><span>Previous night,<span>

"What?"

Rukia frowned after hearing her brother's explanation

Urahara took over

"Kuchiki-san, we're just saying, given Ichigo's new condition, wouldn't it be better if he didn't attract attention to himself?"

I know they're right… but…

She looked over his shoulder and saw Ichigo's eyes darting between them, trying to understand something

"Yeah… you're probably right…"

* * *

><p>She could still feel the warmth of his back on her face<p>

Rukia blushed slightly as her fingers lightly glided across her face

His scent…

"Rukia-san, could you be thinking of Kurosaki-kun?"

…

Rukia snapped out of her daydreams, a tinge of redness on her face

She turned around and saw Momo giggling

"You do it all the time with Hitsugaya-taichou too, don't you?"

Hinamori blushed and Rukia smirked

The teasing continued until the relief teacher walked into the room

"Miss Kuchiki, please stop teasing your friend. Now as I was saying, due to the recent earthquakes, the school is not taking any chances. The usual end of month celebrations will be shifted forward to next Friday"

Momo slumped in her seat and sulked

"And I was really looking forward to Toushirou-chan asking me out…"

"Oh cheer up Momo! It'll only be a week right?"

Rukia patted her best friend on her back

"Yeah… but even so… I wanted it to be sooner… I mean… he didn't even call me to help out when he was fighting those hollows… I thought he was avoiding me…"

A thought occurred to Rukia

Ichigo was fighting those hollows too right?... Why didn't he ask me to help?... Maybe he thinks I can't help?...

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and looked down

When she looked back up, Rangiku and Momo were already walking out of the classroom, claiming that they did not feel too well

She stood up abruptly and ran out the back door, ignoring the teacher

I won't be a burden to Ichigo anymore!... I have to improve!...

* * *

><p>"Won't he get tired?"<p>

Hichigo looked down and saw the white haired captain

"_Nah… unlike your elemental Zanpakuto, Zangetsu is one of those physical Zanpakutos, which boosts its wielder's raw attacking power. Its only abilities are the Tenshou and the Bankai's change of state, unlike your flashy skills"_

"I see…"

Toushiro saw the captain of the 15th squad barely avoid Urahara's blast again, before rolling out of the way of Byakuya's attacks

Then his phone started vibrating

His eyes widened

"Guys! Trouble!"

The tattoo-ed lieutenant of the 6th squad groaned loudly, as usual

"Can't we just let the girls settle this?"

"Normally I would, Arabrai fukutaichou, but…"

The genius lifted up the phone for them to see

Over twenty red dots were on the screen, with ten of them a brighter red then the rest

Twenty Hollows, with ten confirmed Menos

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's go already!"

The two injured captains and the lieutenant dashed out, leaving the ex-captain behind with Ichigo

"Urahara-san, what do they mean?"

The shop owner turned towards him

"They mentioned the girls, is Nee-chan fighting?"

His brown eyes filled with concern

Kisuke sighed and nodded, throwing him his shinigami representative badge

Looking at it, memories flashed in Ichigo's mind

"Urgh…" he clutched his head

A sword as dark as a moonless night… a force which cracked the very ground… a look of fear in her eyes…

"You know how to use it, right?"

Urahara's words brought him back to reality

Looking at the badge, he sensed something familiar

As though he remembered all the times he did it before, he pressed the badge against his body, forcing out his shinigami form

"Thank you, Urahara-san"

He turned in the direction of the reiatsu and dashed towards it

* * *

><p>Hinamori screamed yet again<p>

The 10th squad captain struggled to lift his head up and try to reach for her

Another Hollow stomped onto his outstretched hand and cracking noises could be heard

Byakuya used his cherry blossoms as a shield around himself, but the Hollows kept pounding at it

One hollow stood above the rest, his features the closest to a human's

"_Isn't this easy?... Neutralize the captains who use elemental Zanpakuto, and the rest are nothing…"_

He dangled Momo by her legs

"_So how 'bout it gorgeous? Plead for mercy and I'll let go of your friends"_

"Tsch…"

Rukia struggled against the Hollow that was holding her arms together

"_Feisty huh… I'll start with this girl then, maybe after I'm done eating her, I'll be a Lorde!"_

He gave her a creepy look which sent shivers down her spine

The Adjuchas using wind abilities was still keeping Byakuya and Rangiku occupied and Renji was still being held up

The other three shinigami's Zanpakutos were elemental based so they were useless against the Hollows

"_I'm going to enjoy this…"_

The Hollow licked his lips as his fingers extended with every step he took towards the screaming girl

Toushiro raised his still-injured left arm, his body trembling from the pain

"What do you think you're doing to my girl! Get the hell away from her!"

"_Heh… You? You aren't even worth my time… after all, didn't those Lordes from before injured you two captains? If you want to struggle so much…"_

Another Adjuchas appeared next to the first

He threw Byakuya and Rangiku to the ground, with Abarai soon after, right next to the genius

"_Cheh… Guess they don't make captains like they used to huh, so which do I get?"_

"_You can take that one"_

The Adjuchas pointed over to Hinamori

"_Great. 'Cos I'm starving~"_

Another Hollow appeared, pulling arrows out of his shoulder

"_These guys sure are annoying…"_

Inoue joined the two captains on the floor, with an unconscious Ishida and Chad next to her

She crawled over to the two captains and tried to heal them, but nothing happened

The Adjuchas leader laughed aloud

"_Didn't I already tell you about my ability to suppress the elements? What makes you think time isn't an element by extension?"_

"Let them go!"

Rukia continued to struggle against the Hollow holding her, cutting his hand slightly with her Zanpakuto

The Hollow dropped her and she held her blade up in a defensive position

"_So the rabbit wants to play… very well…"_

The Adjuchas stepped forward and blasted a point-blank cero at her

The younger Kuchiki jumped out of the smoke having barely avoided the attack, but did not see the Hollow behind her

He grabbed her sword arm and bent it, momentarily causing her to lose her grip on it

Another Hollow below her grabbed the falling white blade an flung it in a random direction

Rukia remembered all the times she was held captive by someone, always needing somebody to save her

The time Kaien had saved her... the time Ichigo rescued her from almost being executed...the time he had saved her from being crushed by Yammi...

Suddenly her had shot forward, punching the Adjuchas and causing him to yelp in pain

A fine layer of mist emitted from her palm and she took the opportunity to run, as the Hollow tore off the thin layer of ice covering his mask

* * *

><p>Ichigo dashed forward faster then usual, combining both Shunpo and Sonido<p>

He heard some noise, a scream and looked up to see a white blade flying in his direction

He tilted his head to avoid it, but turned his head to look at it as it passed

As it passed his face, memories played in his mind

A pure white blade… spinning around… "Dance, Sode No Shirayuki"…

He grabbed the white ribbon attached to the blade as it flew past him

Holding it in his hand, he could feel the chilling effects emitting from it

"Rukia…"

A sudden scream came filled the air

Ichigo's hand tightened on her Zanpakuto as he dashed forward once more

* * *

><p>Rukia ducked around another corner as a wave of headaches hit her<p>

No!… Please!... Not now!...

She couldn't afford to be distracted, as it was, she had already lost her Zanpakuto

"_The girl is mine. You guys can share the captains"_

The Hollow had an evil grin on his face

"_Come out little rabbit! Come out, come out, where ever you are~"_

Rukia rested against the wall, catching her breath and slowing down her breathing and reassuring herself

Calm down… if he can't hear you and can't detect your reiatsu and can't hear you… he'll give up…

A hand pierced through the walls and grabbed hers, causing her to scream loudly as she stumbled forward

"_My, my… what a delicious little prey… are you done running yet?..."_

If anything, the Adjuchas merely sounded bored

Rukia turned around and started running again, clutching her injured arm, leaving behind a trail of blood as she attempted to escape once more

"_Sounds like the boss is having fun... hope he didn't forget about us…"_

Ichigo heard the voices and hid behind a wall

He peeped his head out and saw the monsters

No… not monsters… Hollows…

His head felt like it was about to explode as memories all started flowing through his mind

"Give me the sword, shinigami"… "My name isn't shinigami, its Kuchiki Rukia"…

Ichigo opened his eyes as his reiatsu exploded around himself

All the shinigami opened their eyes in shock when they sensed the overpowering aura

"_Did you feel that?"_

"_We didn't miss any shinigami did we?"_

One of the Adjuchas stood up

"_You there! That Hollow! Yes you. Go and check it out"_

The chosen Hollow checked turned and checked the alley

"_There's nothing here boss"_

The shinigamis felt a small breeze and turned, only to find that the captain of the sixth squad was missing

The Hollows turned around

"_Where's the other captain! What did you shinigamis do?"_

A Hollow at the back of the group screamed and fell, his torso separated from his legs

"_What just happened!"_

Another gust of wind and Toushiro was missing

The Hollows turned their heads back and forth in indecision as shinigamis disappeared one after another and Hollows fell

Finally only Renji was left with the two Adjuchas

"_Who are you! Show yourself!"_

A lone shinigami sat on the roof of the building, leaning against a large Zankaputo

"Do you feel fear?... Afraid? Of something you can't comprehend?"

Both Hollows pointed in his direction and fired ceros

Sigh

"How pathetic…"

Ichigo caught both ceros with his bare hand and crushed them

"That it?"

He opened his hand and although smoke emitted from it, there were no traces of any injuries

"_Don't fuck around with us!"_

One of the Adjuchas sent a blast of wind at him while the other dashed forward, raising his gigantic fists

Ichigo grabbed his blade with a bored expression

Twirling Zangetsu by its bandage cloth, he used it as a shield to block the razor sharp winds, before grabbing his blade properly by its handle

Ichigo slashed it in an upward motion as the first Adjuchas neared him

The second Adjuchas lifted up his hands as a precaution, as smoke and dust flew his way

When the debris cleared, the other Ajuchas was nowhere in sight, the nearby walls were cracked and stained with blood

The only thing left standing was an orange-haired shinigami, with his large Zanpakuto on his shoulder

"Why don't you **run along back home** and maybe I'll buy you some candy if you're a good boy?"

The Hollow flinched slightly

"_Who are you and why would you posses the Lord's ability of a commandment?"_

"Who am I?... "

Ichigo pointed to the haori on his back with the number fifteen

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Captain of the 15th squad. And the last shinigami you will ever lay eyes upon"

Before the Hollow had time to react, Ichigo swung his sword around

* * *

><p>"Momo… relax a little… I'm fine…"<p>

Toushiro winced as he lifted his wounded arm and placed it on his girlfriend's head

"See?"

He feigned a smile, hoping it would ease her worry

The silence was broken when the new captain returned

"Byakuya, where have they taken her?"

His face had no emotions and his voice was calm, but they all flinched slightly

"First of all, do not casually use my name, kozo, -" Ichigo's reiatsu suddenly spiked up "- and secondly, I have no idea"

Sigh…

Ichigo turned around and closed his eyes, concentrating on detecting all the reiatsu in the nearby areas

On the building… it was just the other shinigami…

On the streets… just the regular people…

!...

He turned towards the playground and dashed forward quickly

* * *

><p>Rukia leaned against the slide, her robes torn and tattered<p>

She was almost unconscious, her ankle broken and her arms wounded

The young Kuchiki collapsed to the floor, shaking her head trying to keep herself awake

She heard a thud in front of her and stumbled backwards

"_Are you done running yet?..."_

If anything, the Adjuchas looked plain bored

Rukia turned around to try and run again, but the Adjuchas grabbed her hand and pinned her to the floor

"_Eh?... What can you do about it now?"_

The petite girl tossed and turned under the Hollow, causing the injuries to worsen and more bruises the appear

"_Tsch…"_

He impaled his elongated fingers right through her arm

Rukia bit her lip to stop herself from screaming

She tasted the usual metallic feeling of blood in her mouth

"_Hmm?... if that doesn't make you scream then this isn't fun is it?..."_

His eyes shifted down and saw that her robes were slightly torn

As he reached down and opened her robes slightly further, her eyes widened and he smirked

"_Maybe I should... after all, how many times does one get to see a shinigami lady?..."_

"Hado 4: Byakurai!"

Nothing came out of her fingers

"_Spells not working?... pity…"_

He ripped open the top of her robes as she closed her eyes and bit her lips once again

Someone… Anyone… Help me…

The Hollow grunted as he jumped aside

"Rukia, you okay?"

She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with her captain

Her eyes started tearing up

"Ichi…"

She buried her face in his robes, her body trembling from the traumatic experience

"Shh…. Its okay… I'm with you now…"

He pulled up her robes for her before putting his hand on her back, hoping to calm her down

"_Chech… Lucky shot…"_

The Adjuchas wiped the blood off his mask as Ichigo stood up to face him

"Oh?... then how about showing you one that isn't luck?..."

Ichigo turned around quickly, the tip of his blade scraping the floor and causing sparks

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

The blast ripped leaves off the nearby trees, but as the dust cleared the Adjuchas was unharmed

Rukia tugged at the back of his haori

"Ichigo, his ability is to counter the elements…"

"No… he's just neutralizing the energies… "

The shinigami stepped forward

"A barrier of hollow energy in the opposite direction to neutralize shinigami energy… not bad…"

He disappeared and reappeared behind the Hollow

"But its no use"

The Hollow jumped back

Zangetsu's tip touched the ground and two large gashes appeared on the Adjuchas' shoulder

His eyes flickered back and forth and before Ichigo could react, he grabbed Rukia

"_Let me go if you want her to live"_

A blue orb pointed at her head

Ichigo tightened his grip on Zangetsu

Shit… this shouldn't be a problem… but…

The Hollow noticed his hesitation and brought the cero closer to Rukia's head, smirking as he did so

Amidst the commotion, Rukia's head throbbed again

It felt like a thousand needles sticking into her mind as the pain gradually added up and her mind became engulfed in darkness

Ichi… I just didn't want to be a burden… I'm sorry…

Rukia's eyes closed and a single tear fell

"_What's with this girl!"_

Coldness emitted from her and froze the Hollow's arms

White substances gathered around her face, forming a snowflake-like pattern

When her eyes opened once more, they were a shade of turquoise

"_Taken as hostage again…"_

She turned around to the Adjuchas

"_Sorry but I'm not disadvantaged like her"_

She pointed a finger at him and a beam of frost came out, hitting his face and disorientating him

Ichigo leap forward as the petite girl fell, his Hollow coming out of his shadows at the same time

In a single slash, Ichigo took care of the Adjuchas

He turned around and saw his Hollow catching the girl right before she hit the ground

"_Hichigo?..."_

She reached up and touched his face, before her body had a sudden spasm

The captain sprinted ahead while his Hollow carried his lieutenant, both headed towards Urahara's shop with a blaze of determination in their eyes

* * *

><p><strong>Player: yes i know, it is an abrupt ending. but i was expecting fernal to be back soon! D=<strong>

**Sick: that's why u shuldnt rely too much on him. AND DANG! MISSED OPPORTUNITIES AFTER THE SHOWER!**

**Kempach: he had valid reasons for punching the dude. meanwhile, you could have been more violent with this chappie.**

**Player: oh well... COMMENT! ON IT! SO I KNOW WHERE TO IMPROVE ON FOR MY OWN STORY!**


	12. Chapter 12

Fernal: Hey guys, i have good news and bad news

Player: The good news is that he's back

Kempach: The bad news is that he is going to be a lazy mother***er

Sick: He's going to korea...T-T...

Fernal: This is why i was against this idea == but yeah, they are right, i am going to be away for a week and will be back on the 29th roughly

Sick: *trips Fernal over*

Kempach: TAU POK!

*all jump onto Fernal*

Fernal: yeah, so i cant update chap 12 so soon, but just an fyi for those who did not realise, chapter 11 is out and the old notice is gone. GET OFF ME YOU GUYS ARE HEAVY!

Player: We know ;P

Fernal: I promise i will work on chapter 12 ASAP when i get back, but i am still looking for a job (its the holidays), i am gaming alot, exercising alot and partying alot (finals for seconday are oveeeer! HALLELUJAH), but for now i can only leave you w/ this note and i just want to thank all of you for your support thus far =D

Player: Oh yeah, and i am working on my fic right now, but i'll help fernal w/ finishing this first

Kempach: Nuff talking, LETS GET IT ON! *twists fernal's leg*

Sick:*tickles fernal like crazy*

Fernal: OH FUCK!

(This was all done at Player's house, and we all wrote this note together. Tau Pok is a game where we all stack on top of each other, like a body pile xP. Fernal snuck out despite his grounding xD. Sick is out, Peace)


End file.
